Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Research Articles

Structural performance of light weight multicellular FRP composite bridge deck using finite element analysis

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials having advantages such as higher strength to weight than conventional engineering materials, non-corrosiveness and modularization, which should help engineers to obtain more efficient and cost effective structural materials and systems. Currently, FRP composites are becoming more popular in civil engineering applications. The objectives of this research are to study performance and behavior of light weight multi-cellular FRP composite bridge decks (both module and system levels) under various loading conditions through finite element modeling, and to validate analytical response of FRP composite bridge decks with data from laboratory evaluations. The relative deflection, equivalent flexural rigidity, failure load (mode) and load distribution factors (LDF) based on FE results have been compared with experimental data and discussed in detail. The finite element results showing good correlations with experimental data are presented in this work.

Load and resistance factor design of fiber reinforced polymer composite bridge deck

The majority of our bridges were constructed with conventional civil engineering materials of steel and concrete in a typical slab on girder or truss construction. Reinforced concrete bridge decks have approximately 40% life of the steel girders that support these structures. In order to support the use of alternative materials to replace deteriorating concrete decks, this paper outlines the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) of Fiber Reinforced Polymer composite (FRP) panel highway bridge deck. The deck would be of a sandwich construction where 152.4mm×152.4mm×9.5mm square pultruded glass FRP (GFRP) tubes are joined and sandwiched between two 9.5mm GFRP plates. The deck would be designed by Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and LRFD to support AASHTO design truckload HL-93. There are currently no US standards and specifications for the design of FRP pultruded shapes including a deck panel therefore international codes and references related to FRP profiles will be examined and AASHTO-LRFD specifications will be used as the basis for the final design. Overall, years of research and laboratory and field tests have proven FRP decks to be a viable alternative to conventional concrete deck. Therefore, conceptualizing the design of FRP bridge decks using basic structural analysis and mechanics would increase awareness and engineering confidence in the use of this innovative material.

Field Issues Associated with the Use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Decks and Superstructures in Harsh Environments

There has been ample time for the United States to evaluate the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to serve as bridge decks and superstructures under real-world environmental and operating conditions. This provides a great opportunity to weigh in on the decision to move forward with these materials. By studying the successes and failures, materials and techniques used for the design and construction of these bridges can be improved so that we can move closer to the goals of maintenance-free bridges and service lives exceeding 100 years. Though only a few of these structures are instrumented for structural health monitoring, there are a sufficient number of lessons that can be gleaned from the experiences of various owners during the fabrication, installation, operation, and inspection of these structures. By addressing these issues head-on, advocates will be better equipped to have direct dialogue with those in the profession who remain skeptical about the hidden potential for a construction material that is strong, light, and corrosion resistant.

Direct load transmission in hybrid FRP and lightweight concrete sandwich bridge deck

Direct load transmission experiments on hybrid short-span beam specimens for a novel bridge deck were performed. The sandwich construction consists of three layers: a fiber-reinforced polymer composite (FRP) sheet with T-upstands for the bottom skin, lightweight concrete (LC) for the core and a thin layer of ultra high performance reinforced concrete as a top skin. Specimens with adhesively bonded FRP–LC interfaces showed significantly higher ultimate loads than corresponding unbonded specimens with composite action due to pure mechanical interlocking. The degree of composite action between FRP and LC in the unbonded interfaces depended on the LC compressive strength. A correlation of the specimen ultimate loads and the LC splitting tensile strengths was found. Combining the LC splitting tensile strength and the LC characteristic length led to a good correlation with the specimen cracking loads.

Detection of subsurface defects in fiber reinforced polymer composite bridge decks using digital infrared thermography

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge decks are rapidly emerging as potential alternatives to conventional reinforced concrete (RC) bridge decks. The FRP decks offer higher strength-to-weight ratios compared to RC decks. However, presence of subsurface defects such as debonds and delaminations formed during initial construction and in service can adversely affect the structural integrity and service performance of the FRP bridge decks. Hence, a field monitoring technique such as infrared thermography is required to evaluate the in situ condition of these FRP decks. This paper investigates the use of digital infrared thermography for subsurface defect detection in FRP bridge decks. Air-filled and water-filled debonds were inserted between the wearing surface and the underlying FRP deck in the laboratory. Simulated subsurface delaminations (of various sizes and thickness) were also created at the flange-to-flange junction between two FRP deck modules. The infrared technique was used to detect these embedded subsurface defects. Surface temperature–time curves were established for different sizes of delaminations and debonds. In addition, field study was conducted on a FRP bridge deck to detect debonds between the wearing surface and the underlying deck. The laboratory and field testing results show that infrared thermography is a potentially useful tool for defect detection in FRP composite bridge decks. The technique can possibly be used for several applications such as quality control during pultrusion of new decks (in factories), during field construction, and for field inspection of in-service decks.

Reliability-Based Optimization of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Panels

A reliability-based optimization procedure is developed and applied to minimize the weight of eight fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridge deck panel configurations. The method utilizes interlinked finite element, optimization, and reliability analysis procedures to solve the weight minimization problem with a deterministic strength constraint and two probabilistic deflection constraints. Panels are composed of an upper face plate, lower face plate, and a grid of interior stiffeners. Different panel depths and stiffener layouts are considered. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to identify significant design and random variables. Optimization design variables are panel component ply thicknesses, while random variables include load and material resistance parameters. It was found that panels were deflection governed, with the optimization algorithm yielding little improvement for shallow panels, but significant weight savings for deeper panels. The best design resulted in deep panels with close stiffener spacing to minimize local upper face plate deformations under the imposed traffic (wheel) loads.

Flexural behavior of a hybrid FRP and lightweight concrete sandwich bridge deck

This paper presents a new concept for a lightweight hybrid-FRP bridge deck. The sandwich construction consists of three layers: a fiber-reinforced polymer composite (FRP) sheet with T-upstands for the tensile skin, lightweight concrete (LC) for the core and a thin layer of ultra high performance reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) as a compression skin. Mechanical tests on eight hybrid beams were performed with two types of LC and two types of FRP/LC interface: unbonded (only mechanical interlocking of LC between T-upstands) and bonded with an epoxy adhesive. The ultimate loads of the beams increased by 104% on average due to bonding. However, the beam failure mode changed from ductile to brittle. The beams using a LC of 44% higher density exhibited an 81% increase in the ultimate load. The manufacturing of the beams proved to be economic in that epoxy and concrete layers were rapidly and easily applied wet-in-wet without intermediate curing times. The experimental results showed positive results regarding the feasibility of the suggested hybrid bridge deck.

Structural Behavior of FRP Composite Bridge Deck Panels

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge deck panels are high-strength, corrosion resistant, weather resistant, etc., making them attractive for use in new construction or retrofit of existing bridges. This study evaluated the force-deformation responses of FRP composite bridge deck panels under AASHTO MS 22.5 (HS25) truck wheel load and up to failure. Tests were conducted on 16 FRP composite deck panels and four reinforced concrete conventional deck panels. The test results of FRP composite deck panels were compared with the flexural, shear, and deflection performance criteria per Ohio Department of Transportation specifications, and with the test results of reinforced concrete deck panels. The flexural and shear rigidities of FRP composite deck panels were calculated. The response of all panels under service load, factored load, cyclic loading, and the mode of failure were reported. The tested bridge deck panels satisfied the performance criteria. The safety factor against failure varies from 3 to 8.

Durability of FRP Composite Bridge Deck Materials under Freeze-Thaw and Low Temperature Conditions

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, especially lightweight sandwich structures, are rapidly finding their way into civil infrastructure application. FRP composite panels are particularly attractive as bridge deck systems due to their high strength, low density, and durability, which are of importance to the bridge industry. Most of the vast amount of durability data for FRP has been generated for aerospace and automotive applications, which involve very different service conditions than civil infrastructure. For civil engineering applications, it is essential to examine the durability performance of FRP materials under weathering conditions. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a reliable framework for durability assessment of FRP decks, including laboratory testing procedure and finite-element simulation capability. Such a framework should be applicable to all types of FRP deck construction. In this paper, specimens of typical FRP bridge deck skin materials are subjected to freeze-thaw cycling between 4.4 and –17.8°C in media of dry air, distilled water, and saltwater, and constant freeze at –17.8°C . The selected deck is used as an example for demonstration purposes. In addition, selected specimens are subjected to simultaneous environmental exposure conditions and sustained loading of 25% ultimate strain. It should be emphasized that most of the environmental conditions reported in the literature produce minor deterioration of a single composite property, and the assessment of such effect on this single property becomes unreliable because of a large property variation. Therefore, in this paper we use multiple mechanical properties as performance indices for damage evaluation. Based on findings from this work, it is concluded that freeze-thaw cycling between 4.4 and –17.8°C alone and up to 1,250 h and 625 cycles caused very insignificant or no change in the flexural strength, storage modulus, and loss factor of the FRP specimens conditioned in dry air, distilled water, and saltwater. Small reductions in storage modulus (about 1% or less) were observed when specimens were prestrained and subjected to 250 freeze-thaw cycles in distilled water and saltwater. Changes in flexural strength were statistically insignificant, since they were within the data scatter.

Laboratory and Field Performance of Cellular Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Systems

This paper addresses the laboratory and field performance of multicellular fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge deck systems produced from adhesively bonded pultrusions. Two methods of deck contact loading were examined: a steel patch dimensioned according to the AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications, and a simulated tire patch constructed from an actual truck tire reinforced with silicon rubber. Under these conditions, deck stiffness, strength, and failure characteristics of the cellular FRP decks were examined. The simulated tire loading was shown to develop greater global deflections given the same static load. The failure mode is localized and dominated by transverse bending failure of the composites under the simulated tire loading as opposed to punching shear for the AASHTO recommended patch load. A field testing facility was designed and constructed in which FRP decks were installed, tested, and monitored to study the decks’ in-service field performance. No significant loss of deck capacit...

Experience in the United States with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Decks and Superstructures

Research on the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials for bridge decks and superstructures has been ongoing since the 1980s. Vehicular bridges have been in service since 1996, and pedestrian bridges, longer than that. This paper focuses on vehicular bridges, of which many were funded by FHWA's Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program or other funding initiatives. The objective is to summarize where the projects are, who supplied them, how they were constructed, what the benefits of using FRP were, what lessons can be learned, and what the projects cost. A review of this information should be useful to civil engineers or bridge owners who want to assess the state of the practice and make a judgment about using FRP for bridge decks or superstructures.

Close Look at Construction Issues and Performance of Four Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Decks

Four different fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) panel systems were installed in a 207 m, five-span, three-lane bridge in an effort to assess the constructability, performance, and applicability of bridges with fiber-reinforced polymer composite decks. This paper examines whether four common deck systems are able to realize many of the anticipated benefits of using FRP composites in lieu of conventional reinforced concrete bridge decks. Particular installation issues, connection details, and specific construction techniques for each deck system are described, along with a discussion of the shortcomings in terms of handling, performance, and serviceability. Other factors such as key design parameters (e.g., impact factor and thermal characteristics) and unexpected responses are used to further quantify the performance of four FRP representative deck systems under identical traffic and environmental constraints.

Connection of concrete barrier rails to FRP bridge decks

The paper investigates the viability of use of conventional joining concepts between reinforced concrete barrier rails to fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridge decks. The concept is tested and implemented as part of a FRP bridge system incorporating concrete filled carbon/epoxy shells as girders and a pultruded core E-glass/vinylester–polyester deck. The barrier was anchored into the deck using polymer concrete filled cavities within the deck at discrete locations. Experimental results indicated that the configuration provides excellent anchoring capacity and a mode of failure that is more stable and capable of greater energy absorption than the conventional system due to the encapsulation of the anchorage within the composite deck. Failure was initiated through yield in the bars at a load of 129 kN compared to a demand level of 44.5 kN. No damage accrues to the deck itself with minimal damage in the anchorage. Analytical predictions of onset of yield and failure are shown to match experimental results as well. The testing validates the use of the system pursuant to specification mandated criteria.