Fatigue Behavior and Nondestructive Evaluation of Full-Scale FRP Honeycomb Bridge Specimen
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 11, Issue 4
Abstract
An experimental investigation was performed to assess the projected fatigue performance of a fiber-reinforced polymer honeycomb bridge that has recently been completed in Troupsburg, N.Y. The laboratory specimen was representative of a 305-mm-wide strip of the completed bridge. The specimen was first subjected to fatigue loading. Load, displacement, and strain were measured every 25,000 cycles. The data indicated minimum signs of degradation after 2 million cycles of fatigue loading, as reflected in slightly increased values of vertical deflection and strain at midspan. After completion of the fatigue loading, the specimen was evaluated with acoustic emission. Load was statically applied and increased incrementally until failure occurred at a load level exceeding 16 times the fatigue level loading. The results of the static testing also indicated that only minor damage occurred due to fatigue. Field load testing of the actual bridge has been completed by the New York State Department of Transportation, and the results are discussed as they pertain to the fatigue and static load testing programs described.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank Dr. Jerry Plunkett of Kansas Structural Composites, Inc., for donation of the test specimen and technical assistance as well as the New York State Department of Transportation and TVGA Engineers. Funding was provided by the Louisiana Transportation Research Center/Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and their support is greatly appreciated. William Bane collected the acoustic emission data. We thank the reviewers for their helpful suggestions.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 11 • Issue 4 • July 2006
Pages: 420 - 429
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: May 17, 2005
Accepted: Sep 21, 2005
Published online: Jul 1, 2006
Published in print: Jul 2006
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