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Experimental Investigation of GFRP Hybrid Full-scale Bridge Deck Panels Subjected to AASHTO Design Truck Wheel Load

Hesham Tuwair 1, Jonathan Drury 2, and Jeffery Volz 3
1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dhofar University, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
2. Structures, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
3. School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA

Abstract—This paper aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panel in bridge deck applications. This new system integrates a polyurethane foam core that is sandwiched between two GFRP facings. With the purpose of investigating the performance of this new system, experimental static testing was performed. The investigation focused on the ultimate flexural strength capacity, stiffness, and panel-to-panel connection of the proposed bridge deck. The results of the flexural testing showed that the tested bridge deck panels exceeded the AASHTO Design Code Strength requirements by nearly three times. In addition, the bonded butt-type sandwich panel-to-panel connection transferred the loading between the panels beyond that required by code. 

Index Terms—Sandwich Panel, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer, Hybrid Bridge Deck.

Cite: Hesham Tuwair, Jonathan Drury, and Jeffery Volz, "Experimental Investigation of GFRP Hybrid Full-scale Bridge Deck Panels Subjected to AASHTO Design Truck Wheel Load," International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 280-283, August 2019. doi: 10.18178/ijscer.8.3.280-283