Structural Testing of a Vehicular Carbon Fiber Bridge: Quasi-Static and Short-Term Behavior
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 13, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper deals with the use of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers as the primary load-bearing material in new (as opposed to retrofit) bridge designs. After describing the experimental methods, results from the laboratory quasi-static tests conducted on a full-scale section of a long, fully vehicular, composite bridge are presented. The salient findings from this study are that (i) the bridge design amply met the prescribed serviceability and safety criteria; (ii) under increasing loading, the distribution of the shear and bending moment profiles along the length of the beam progress from the hyperstatic to the isostatic cases; (iii) the prevailing failure mechanisms at the support points and joint sections are shear dominated, and may result in more than one failure mechanism, including joint separation, support diaphragm buckling, and delamination of the reinforced concrete slab from the main load-bearing beam.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the technical staff of the ELSA Technical Laboratory of the Joint Research Centre for their constant and professional efforts in the preparation of the experimental campaign, and the Ministerio de Fomento for motivating the implementation of this project on the Spanish highway network.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 13 • Issue 3 • May 2008
Pages: 271 - 281
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: May 24, 2007
Accepted: Aug 17, 2007
Published online: May 1, 2008
Published in print: May 2008
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