Testing and long-term monitoring of a five-span bridge with multiple FRP decks: Performance and design issues

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) have emerged from extremely expensive materials that were only used for high-end applications to a more common and more affordable product that becomes increasingly indispensable for our daily lives. A variety of fields of technology has taken advantage of the material properties of FRPs that are characterized by their linear elastic behavior, excellent strength to weight ratio, and non-corrosiveness. One such discipline is the construction industry where FRPs are seen as an alternative to traditional construction materials and technology.; During the past 45 months, a unique research project at the University of Cincinnati investigated the long-term performance of multiple FRP panel systems as decks on a large bridge. The project involved the longest bridge in the United States that had been equipped with FRP panels, and the only one which had panels from multiple manufacturers. Such characteristics set the presented research project on the leading frontier for applications of FRP materials in infrastructure.; The focus of the research was to investigate the performance of different FRP deck systems in contrast to the original standard reinforced concrete decks. Moreover, the research is unique as the performance of individual FRP systems under identical environmental and ambient conditions are compared. The short- and long-term performance of multiple FRP deck systems was investigated during several controlled truck load tests and using a remote long-term monitoring response system. The field data were complemented by a multitude of visual inspections, and destructive and non-destructive laboratory tests.; The sheer size and number of individual panels provided a platform to detect design, detailing, and construction issues for FRP deck systems that had not been detected in previous projects. Based on the findings of the reported research, a number of recommendations for design, detailing, and construction techniques are made to enhance the performance of FRP deck systems.; In addition to providing data of interest for the bridge engineering community, the research project proved to be a test bed to modify and enhance certain established approaches for testing, instrumentation, and data processing to accommodate the specific needs of FRP materials. Therefore, the reported research has a broad impact on the engineering profession.