9.

1 Overview 73

9 Fibre Reinforced Polymers - State of the Art

in All-Composite New Structures
9.1 Overview
By all-composite new structural systems is understood the bridge superstructure
(beams and deck) being made exclusively of FRP. Usually the abutments and piers
consist of traditional materials.
If one analyses the all-composite bridges built today, as in chapter 8, one can dif-
ferentiate between two categories: the concepts of material substitution with the re-
placement of traditional materials and the new material-adapted concepts. The bridges
with material substitution can be further subdivided according to the substituted struc-
tural components. In the material-adapted concepts widely differing approaches are
met with. The tendency in general is away from linear components to surface struc-
tures more suited to the material properties.
Numerically, the projects with material substitution predominate over those based on
new concepts. This has to change in the medium or long term, because only with the
new material-adapted concepts can the potential that lies in the new materials be fully
utilised.

9.2 All-Composite Concepts with Material Substitution

9.2.1 All-Composite Bridges Made of FRP Profiles and FRP Gratings
Here, above all, pedestrian truss and beam bridges made up of pultruded FRP profiles
are classified. A number of such bridges have already been built (cf. overview in
table 9.1). The profiles used have identical shapes of cross-section to steel profiles
(cf. section 5.2). The profile connections and joints are usually bolted. Only in the
case of the Pontresina Footbridge material-adapted adhesive connections were
employed.

Bridge Land Type Year System Appendix 1

Techtonics bridges USA, Pedestrian throughoutStrongwell p. 98
ca. 80 up to now Canada 1980s Creative Pultrusion
Clear Creek Bridge USA Pedestrian 1996 Strongwell p. 105
PWRI test bridge Japan Pedestrian 1996 p. 106
Fiberline bridge Denmark Pedestrian 1997 Fiberline p. 111
Pontresina Bridge Switzerland Pedestrian 1997 Fiberline p. 115

9.2.2 All-Composite Bridges Made of FRP Decks

Here the bridges with (single span) FRP deck slab superstructure are considered. The
bridges built so far are listed in table 9.2.
74 9 Fibre Reinforced Polymers - State of the Art in All-Composite New Structures

9.2.3 All-Composite Bridges Made of FRP Profiles and FRP Decks

Here bridges of the classical girder-slab type made of FRP are classified. The girders
consist of pultruded FRP profiles or FRP trusses. The two bridges of this category
built so far are listed in table 9.3. Of particular interest is the first bridge in Germany
with an FRP deck.
Bridge Land Type Year System Appendix1
Laurel Lick Bridge USA Highway 1997 Superdeck p. 108
FRP profile girders
Cottbus Bridge Germany Pedestrian 2000 Superdeck -
FRP profile trusses
Table 9.3: Bridges consisting of FRP projles and FRP decks.

9.3 Material-Adapted All-Composite Concepts

9.3.1 All-Composite Bridges in China
The application of FRP in bridge construction in China has been experimented with
since the 1970s. In 1982 the first highway bridge worldwide, the Miyun Bridge, was
built - a single span two-lane bridge with 20.7 m span length for max. 30 t truck loads
(fig. 9.1).
The bridge is built-up of six quadratic-sectioned sandwich girders (glass fibres/ polyes-
ter). The inside of the girders is of honeycomb form (fig. 9.2). A concrete slab was cast
in place over the deck.
9.3 Material-Adapted All-Composite Concepts 75

Fig. 9.1: Miyun Bridge, first FRP highway bridge.

Fig. 9.2: Miyun Bridge, structural form and dimensions.

9.3.2 All-Composite Box Girder Bridges

At the beginning of the 1990s the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed-Martin developed a
bridge concept based on the aircraft technology, which was realised in 1994 in the
INEEL test bridge (fig. 9.3 and appendix 1, p. 112). The main elements of this new
concept are the hand-laminated, material-adapted U-shaped girders, which are
connected to a “conventional” FRP deck. A further development of this concept, with
the integration of the deck in the girder, was implemented by Martin Marietta in 1997
with the Smith Road Bridge (fig. 9.4 and appendix 1, p. 113). Remote-controlled
fibre optic sensors are installed in the bridge.
76 9 Fibre Reinforced Polymers - State of the Art in All-Composite New Structures

Fig. 9.3: Girders of INEEL Bridge, USA, 1994.

Fig. 9.4: Girder of Smith Road Bridge, USA, 1997.

9.3.3 ACCS-System Bridges

Under material-adapted all-composite new concepts the ACCS system also described
in section 5.3.10 can be included. The actual construction system can be used in var-
ious ways and is suited above all for footbridges. Its use as a deck for highway bridges
requires strengthening measures. The bridges built so far are listed in table 9.4.
Bridge Place Type Year Appendix 1
Aberfeldy Bridge (parafil cables) UK Pedestrian 1992 p. 101
Shank Castle Bridge UK Pedestrian 1993 -

Bonds Mill Lift Bridge I UK I Highway I 1994 I p. 102 I

Parson’s Bridge UK Pedestrian 1995 p. 103
Table 9.4: ACCS bridges.

9.3.4 Glued Sandwich-Profile Bridges

A construction system consisting of translucent FRP sandwich panels (glass fibres /
polyester), FRP profiles (glass fibres /polyester), cables (carbon fibre / epoxy) and
glues (epoxy adhesives) as the main means of bonding is being developed at the pre-
sent time at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. The sandwich panels
9.3 Material-Adapted All-Composite Concepts 77

are used as web elements and are reinforced with glued profile flanges (fig. 9.5). The
girders will be under- and overspanned with carbon cables. All constructional com-
ponents are available as standard products. The system is suited above all for the
construction of footbridges and for small highway bridges. The architectonic aspect is
taken into consideration by the possible translucency, together with an appropriate
lighting concept as well as by the possibility of colouring.

Fig. 9.5: Glued translucent sandwich girder:

Fig. 9.6: Bridge conceptfor pedestrians.