Field implementation of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) deck panels.
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2017-06-01
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Abstract:Jeffery S. Volz, S.E., P.E., Ph.D., Kamal H. Khayat, PhD, P.Eng. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1431-0715, Soo Duck Hwang, Ph.D. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2178-1531, Hesham Tuwair, Ph.D., Jonathan T. Drury, Amy S. Crone
Although still in their infancy, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bridges have shown great promise in eliminating corrosion concerns and meeting (or exceeding) FHWA’s goal of 100-year life spans for bridges. While FRP bridges are cost-effective in terms of life cycle analyses, the combination of higher first costs and limited state DOT budgets has restricted their use. This research study examined a prototype FRP deck panel that incorporated polyurethane foam in an attempt to reduce the initial costs. The objective of this research was to develop the design methodology and construction details necessary to implement the prototype FRP deck panel on an actual bridge, addressing issues such as panel-to-panel connections, panel-to-girder connections, bridge skew, roadway crown, overlay materials, bridge guardrail attachment, and deck drainage. The full scale, prototype FRP deck panels performed exceptionally during all phases of testing. In general, results of the study indicated that the panels significantly exceeded the code required design forces in all instances. In flexure, shear and bearing, the average failure load exceeded the AASHTO Design Truck factored wheel load by nearly three times. Even more importantly, the panels behaved linearly-elastically throughout the full range of loading and possessed significant post-buckling strength. In terms of construction details, the panel-to-panel connection indicated 100% load transfer up to a load of over twice the AASHTO Design Truck factored wheel load and, in fact, the panel failed due to localized bearing prior to any failure of the joint. Furthermore, testing of the guardrail-to-panel connection for the prototype FRP deck panels indicated that without any modifications, the panels satisfy the AASHTO TL-2 guardrail requirements. To attain an AASHTO TL-3 or TL-4 level, the panels would require localized reinforcement at the guardrail post connection points. In terms of potential overlay materials, epoxy-based polymer concretes offered the greatest bond strengths and thermal compatibility with the FRP deck. Finally, it appears that existing FRP design equations can reasonably predict the response and behavior of the VARTM-manufactured, prototype FRP bridge deck panels. The equations correctly predicted a flexural failure due to local buckling of the compression flange and a bearing failure due to local buckling of the webs beneath the concentrated load.
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