GFRP-Balsa Sandwich Bridge Deck: Concept, Design, and Experimental Validation
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 18, Issue 2
Abstract
The concept, design, and experimental validation of the new Avançon Bridge in Bex, Switzerland, are described. The lightweight glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich bridge deck adhesively bonded to steel girders, reduced the traffic disruption period by approximately 40 days or 80% compared to a cast-in-place concrete bridge, and also enabled the bridge to be widened to two lanes. The semi-integral bridge concept allows the application of a continuous asphalt layer across the abutments without expansion joints and thus facilitates and reduces maintenance. The GFRP sandwich deck with structural balsa core fulfils all the requirements concerning serviceability, ultimate limit state, and fatigue. The bridge deck dimensions significantly depended on the selected and applied design recommendation. In the case of the Avançon Bridge, the German and British recommendations provided the most conservative sets of material factors, the Dutch recommendation specified the least conservative, with the Eurocomp recommendation lying somewhere in between. In particular, the selected material factor applied to stiffness influenced the deck composition and material consumption.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of this research by 3A Composites, Sins, Switzerland. 3A Composites also manufactured and installed the Avançon Bridge.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 18 • Issue 2 • April 2014
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 29, 2013
Accepted: Jul 23, 2013
Published online: Jul 25, 2013
Published in print: Apr 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Apr 14, 2014
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