Pedestrian Bridges Combining Stainless Steel and Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymers as Structural Members

The paper reports on the design and specific details of two similar footbridges in Zumaia (Bask country, Spain) and Medellín (Colombia). These two bridges are probably some of if not the firsts to combine the new construction materials stainless steel and fiber-reinforced composites, both as structural members, in a medium span pedestrian structure.

The bridges consist each of two main longitudinal single-span girders, creating open sections over 28.0 m and 25.2 m, and decks with clear widths of 5.0 m and 3.0 m, respectively. The longitudinal girders are made of Vierendeel trusses in stainless steel and with variable heights of approx. 1.1 m to 1.4 m, combined with glass-fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) as structural webs of the trusses. The Vierendeel trusses have stiff bottom chords with hollow sections, stiff posts with Pi-sections – with slightly variable spacing for the larger bridge – and very slender top chords with a stiffened stainless steel plate. The bridge deck of the larger bridge is made of transverse GFRP I-girders of 300 mm height, with a spacing of 1.0 m, and longitudinal standard light deck planks of 40 mm height. The transverse girders of the smaller bridge are welded from stainless steel plates to I-sections of 165 mm height with a spacing of 1.5 m, while the same deck planks are provided.

The paper comments on the design peculiarities of the very light structures, such as the modeling of structural details for static and dynamic investigations, buckling analysis of the top chords, ultimate limit and serviceability limit state considerations and design concepts.

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