About the author  ⁄ Joseph Robert Yost, Ph.D., P.E.

Joseph Robert Yost, Ph.D., P.E., is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Villanova University. He may be reached at joseph.yost@villanova.edu.

The built infrastructure is one of the largest contributors to various measures of environmental impacts, e.g., energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. There is sustained momentum towards decreasing this impact. This momentum is consistent with the ASCE Code of Ethics which states, in part, that engineers “shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties.”

Read More →

Cast-in-place (CIP) concrete bridge decks are typically reinforced with steel. However, poor durability resulting from steel corrosion has resulted in the use of alternative noncorrosive reinforcement materials. As part of this effort, glass fiber reinforcement polymer (GFRP) reinforcement bars have been used as structural reinforcement for CIP concrete bridge decks. GFRP is a noncorrosive composite material made of glass reinforcing fibers and a vinyl ester resin matrix. In axial tension, GFRP is elastic with brittle rupture at ultimate. Relative to grade 60 steel reinforcement, GFRP tensile strength is about 150%, the elastic modulus is about 20%, and the unit weight is about 25%. Thus, given the material’s high strength and low stiffness, serviceability of GFRP reinforced bridge decks will be an important consideration in design.

Read More →
STRUCTURE magazine