Dr. Mayada Waheed, Head of the Building and Construction Engineering Technologies Department at Al-Musayyib Technical College, participated as a member of the examination committee for a Master's thesis entitled:
"Experimental Evaluation of Strengthening Reinforced Concrete Bridges Using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Under Loading and Environmental Conditions."
The research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of CFRP strengthening systems in enhancing the structural performance of reinforced concrete bridges under various loading scenarios and environmental exposures. The study examined the behavior of strengthened bridge specimens subjected to service loads as well as the influence of temperature, humidity, and long-term environmental effects.
The thesis included an extensive experimental program involving reinforced concrete bridge models tested before and after CFRP strengthening to evaluate improvements in flexural and shear capacity, load-carrying performance, crack control, and deformation characteristics.
The findings demonstrated that CFRP systems significantly improved the structural behavior of reinforced concrete bridges, increased their service life, and enhanced their durability under different environmental conditions. These results highlight the potential of CFRP technology as an effective and sustainable solution for bridge rehabilitation and infrastructure maintenance projects.
The study recommended conducting further field-scale investigations and long-term monitoring programs to assess the durability and performance of CFRP-strengthened bridges under actual service condition