Temporal Thermal Behavior and Damage Simulations of FRP Deck
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 11, Issue 4
Abstract
The finite-element method (FEM) has been employed to study the structural behavior of the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge deck. The numerical results were verified with the field-test results provided by New York State Department of Transportation. Fully coupled thermal-stress analyses were conducted using the FEM to predict the failure mechanisms and the “fire resistance limit” of the superstructure under extreme thermal loading conditions. Furthermore, damage simulations of the FRP deck as a result of snow and ice plowing process were performed to investigate any possibility of bridge failure after damage occurs. Thermal simulations showed that FRP bridge decks are highly sensitive to the effect of elevated temperatures. The FRP deck approached the fire resistance limit at early stages of the fire incident under all cases of fire scenarios. The damage simulations due to the snow plowing showed minimal possibility of bridge failure to take place under the worst-case damage scenario when the top 5 mm of the FRP deck surface was removed. The results of both phases of simulations provide an insight into the safety and the reliability of the FRP systems after the stipulated damage scenarios were considered. Moreover, this paper provides discussions concerning the recommended immediate actions necessary to repair the damaged region of FRP deck panels and possible use of the bridge after the damage incident.
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Acknowledgment
The work in this paper was conducted in collaboration with New York State Department of Transportation. The views presented in this document represent those of the authors and not necessarily of the NYSDOT.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 11 • Issue 4 • July 2006
Pages: 452 - 464
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: May 2, 2005
Accepted: Jul 26, 2005
Published online: Jul 1, 2006
Published in print: Jul 2006
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