THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF FRP COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS

Two bridge superstructural systems and two other floor systems are constructed and tested under concentric static loads using fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) shapes. Structural performance of individual FRP components is established through three- and four-point bending tests. Structural efficiency of each system is analyzed in terms of joint efficiency, transverse load distribution, composite action between FRP components, and maximum deflections and stresses. Theoretical prediction of system performance is conducted by the orthotropic plate theory, finite-element method, and a method to predict beam stiffnesses based on simplified classical lamination theory (CLT). The correlation between theoretical and experimental results is good and reveals that the simplified CLT can be effectively used in future designs. The bridge and floor systems tested herein had undergone deflections smaller or at the most equal to the allowable (L/1,000 and L/360, respectively) for loads larger than the corresponding allowable Loads (72 kN and 3.8 kN, respectively).