Static and Dynamic Testing of Fibre-Reinforced Bridge Girders

The pedestrian bridge crossing the Flaz Creek in Pontresina, Switzerland, was first used during the winter season 1997-1998. At the end of the winter season, both bridge spans (one with bolted joints, the other with glued joints) were transported to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, where static and dynamic testing was performed, before transporting back to Pontresina at the start of winter 1998. The Pontresina bridge girder with glued joints was about 15% stiffer than the bolted girder. The bridge shows damping values of between 1% and 3%. For structures made of other materials, such as steel or reinforced concrete, damping values of about 2% are usually observed. This means that the Pontresina fibre-reinforced polymer bridge has similar behaviour and characteristics as a similar bridge in steel or reinforced concrete.