Long-term performance of a fiber-reinforced polymer slab bridge superstructure-field load test and ratings

Abstract

This paper describes a detailed assessment of the structural safety, serviceability, capacity rating and long-term durability of a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) vehicular slab bridge superstructure. This first all-FRP slab bridge was installed in Korea on May the 22nd, 2002. The FRP slab bridge superstructure is a simply supported, its length is 10.0m, and is designed to carry two-lane traffic and has an overall width of 8.0m. The FRP slab bridge is a sandwich structure with a corrugated core, fabricated by a hand lay-up process with E-glass fibers and vinyl ester resins. The assessment includes a visual inspection, field load test identical to that performed in 2002. The field load test under actual service conditions was conducted as specified by the Korean Highway Bridge Design Code. In this first part, the field load test results performed in 2002, 2004 and 2011 are presented and the capacity-ratings of FRP slab bridge was evaluated. The assessment indicates that the FRP slab bridge has no structural problems and is structurally performing well in-service as expected.The assessment may provide a baseline data for the FRP slab bridge capacity rating assessment and also serve as part of a long-term performance of all-FRP bridge superstructure.