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Design and Field Evaluation of Hybrid FRP/Reinforced Concrete Superstructure System |
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| Authors: | Paul H Ziehl Michael D Engelhardt Timothy J Fowler Fernando V Ulloa Ronald D Medlock Eric Schell |
| Affiliation: | 1Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of South Carolina, 300 Main St., Columbia, SC 29208 (corresponding author). E-mail: ziehl@engr.sc.edu 2Professor, Dept. of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712. E-mail: mde@mail.utexas.edu 3Retired, Dept. of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712. E-mail: fowlermarietim@hughes.net 4Staff Engineer, Whitlock, Dalrymple, Poston and Associates, 402 W. 7th St., Austin, TX 78701. E-mail: fulloa@wdpa.com 5Vice-President, Technical Services, High Steel Structures, Inc., 1915 Old Philadelphia Pike, P.O. Box 10008, Lancaster, PA 17505. E-mail: rmedlock@high.net 6Research Engineer, Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, Univ. of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd., Building 177, Austin, TX 78758. E-mail: eschell@mail.utexas.edu |
| Abstract: | Fiber-reinforced polymers offer several advantages over conventional construction materials but are also faced with several challenges. These include increased first cost, relatively low stiffness, and a lack of field experience. To address these challenges and to advance the state of the art, a hybrid fiber reinforced polymer/reinforced concrete bridge was designed and constructed in Texas. The bridge design and field evaluation are unique in several respects. Design considerations, the bid process, and the results of intermittent live load evaluations that have been conducted over a period of approximately 2 years are presented. Recommendations for the design of future similar bridges are provided. |
| Keywords: | Bridge construction Bridges concrete Acoustic techniques Load tests Superstructure Instrumentation Evaluation |