Compositely Acting FRP Deck and Girder System

Advanced fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge decks offer tremendous potential to meet critical needs for rehabilitation of existing bridges and construction of new bridges. FRP materials are robust and durable materials with high strength to weight ratios that lend themselves well to automated fabrication techniques. These qualities make FRP a material well suited to use in bridge decks. As compared with cast-in-place concrete bridges decks, they weigh 80% less, can be erected twice as fast and have service lives that may be two to three times greater. This article describes the task of developing and demonstrating a FRP bridge deck system as part of the Advanced Composites for Bridge Infrastructure Renewal Program. This program was funded by a research agency, public sector and private industry. The scope of the project included development of design criteria, design and construction of a demonstration bridge in Ohio, laboratory testing and validation of the system and performing life-cycle cost analyses. The challenge of the project was to develop a deck system that can be connected compositely to steel girders. To the author's knowledge, this demonstration bridge is the first bridge in the world to fully rely on composite action between a FRP deck and girders to resist superimposed dead and live load.