Temperature Induced Nonlinear Effect on Free Vibration Characteristics of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Bridge Deck

Abstract

The present paper deals with free vibration analysis of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge deck considering temperature induced nonlinear behaviour of composite materials. The finite element formulation based on the third-order shear deformation theory using Green–Lagrange approach of nonlinearity by considering large deformation and large rotation is developed to model the FRP bridge deck panel. The bridge deck is modelled by using a laminated plate with closely spaced box stiffeners. The plate and the stiffeners elements are formulated separately and merged thereafter. The eight-noded isoparametric plate bending elements and the three-noded isoparametric beam elements are used to formulate deck plate and stiffeners, respectively. Compatibility between plate and stiffener elements is maintained by considering identical degrees of freedom per node for both. The effect of temperature rise on natural frequencies of a laminated composite plate is studied in the present paper. The free vibration modal analysis is carried out to identify the effect of temperature change with proper temperature distribution within the stiffened structures using 1D heat conduction model, and the solutions may be used as benchmark.