Conformable Tire Patch Loading for FRP Composite Bridge Deck
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 13, Issue 6
Abstract
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are increasingly being used in bridge deck applications. However, there are currently only fledgling standards to design and characterize FRP deck systems. One area that should be addressed is the loading method for the FRP deck. It has been observed that the type of loading patch greatly influences the failure mode of a cellular FRP deck. The contact pressure distribution of a real truck loading is nonuniform with more concentration near the center of the contact area as a result of the conformable contact mechanics. Conversely, the conventional rectangular steel patch on a FRP deck act like a rigid flat punch and produces stress concentration near the edges. A proposed simulated tire patch has been examined for loading a cellular FRP deck with the load distribution characterized by a pressure sensitive film sensor and three-dimensional contact analysis using ANSYS. A loading profile is proposed as a design tool for analyzing FRP deck systems for strength and durability. Local top surface strains and displacements of the cellular FRP deck are found to be higher with proposed loading profile compared to those for the conventional uniformly distributed loading. Parametric studies on the deck geometry show that the global displacement criterion used for characterizing bridge deck is inadequate for a cellular FRP deck and that the local effects must be considered.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Virginia Transportation Research Council (Contract No. UNSPECIFIEDVTRC-MOA-03–010) and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 13 • Issue 6 • December 2009
Pages: 575 - 581
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 3, 2008
Accepted: Feb 24, 2009
Published online: Nov 13, 2009
Published in print: Dec 2009
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