Use of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Tendons for Stress-Laminating Timber Bridge Decks
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract
Researchers at the University of Maine led an effort in the mid-1990s to develop and use glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tendons, instead of the commonly used steel-threaded bars, for stress-laminating timber bridge decks. The GFRP tendons are 12.7 mm (0.5 in.) in diameter and consist of seven-wire strands similar in construction to steel prestressing strands. Because the modulus of elasticity of the GFRP tendons is approximately 1/9 that of steel, they are not as susceptible to loss of prestress as steel bars and may not have to be restressed during the life of deck. In 1997, researchers obtained funding to design, construct, and monitor a stress-laminated timber bridge located in Milbridge, Maine, utilizing the new GFRP tendons. The bridge was constructed from preservative treated No. 2 and better eastern hemlock laminations and is 4.88 m (16 ft) long, 7.75 m (25 ft, 6 in.) wide, and 350 mm (14 in.) deep. Based on 4.25 years of field monitoring the tendon forces and moisture content, the GFRP tendons have maintained an adequate prestress level without having to be restressed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided by a Wood Utilization Research (WUR) grant and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. The writers express sincere appreciation to Dr. Srinivasa Iyer of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for the development work on the GFRP tendons and to Dr. Beckry Abdel-Magid of Winona State University for the development of the GFRP bearing plates.
References
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (1991). Guide specifications for the design of stress-laminated wood decks, Washington, D.C.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). (1996). Standard specifications for highway bridges, 16th Ed., Washington, D.C.
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (1990). “Use and calibration of hand-held moisture meters.” ASTM D 4444-84, West Conshohocken, Pa.
Barker, A., and Bott, T. (1967). “Creep in glass fiber reinforced plastics.” Ind. Eng. Chem., 59, 46.
Chiao, C. (1975). “Long-term performance of fiber composites.” Proc., 1975 Flywheel Technology Symp., U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Dimakis, A., and Oliva, M. (1988). “Behavior of stress-laminated timber parallel chord bridge decks: Testing and analytical correlation.” Rep. 88-1, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
Hofer, K., Jr., and Olsen, E. (1967). “An investigation of fatigue creep properties of glass reinforced plastics for primary aircraft structures.” Paper No. AD652415, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuyent River, Md.
Iyer, S., and Anigol, M., eds. (1991). Advanced Composite Materials in Civil Engineering Structures; Proc., Specialty Conf., ASCE, New York.
Phillips, M., et al. (1983). “Creep rupture behavior of glass fiber composites in aqueous environments.” Proc., 38th Annual Conf., PRC Institute, Society of the Plastics Industry, Washington, D.C., Paper 2D.
Ritter, M., Wacker, J., and Duwadi, S. (1995). “Field performance of stress-laminated timber bridges on low-volume roads.” Proc., 6th Int. Conf. on Low-Volume Roads, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Wolff, R., and Miesseler, H. (1993). Alternative materials for the reinforcement and prestressing of concrete, Chapman and Hall, London.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 10 • Issue 1 • January 2005
Pages: 21 - 27
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 21, 2001
Accepted: Aug 4, 2004
Published online: Jan 1, 2005
Published in print: Jan 2005
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.