Use of fiber reinforced polymer composite in bridge structures

Fiber reinforced polymer composite (FRP) is a new construction material, gradually gaining acceptance from civil engineers. Bridge engineering is among the fields in civil engineering benefiting from the introduction of FRP composite. Its advantages over traditional construction materials are its high tensile strength to weight ratio, ability to be molded into various shapes, and potential resistance to environmental conditions, resulting in potentially low maintenance cost. These properties make FRP composite a good alternative for innovative construction. In the past 10 years, experiments have been conducted to investigate the applicability of FRP composite in bridge structures, including the applications of FRP composite girder and bridge deck, column and beam strengthening, etc. This document will first present the basic information of FRP composite, including its mechanical behaviors and manufacturing processes relevant to civil engineering applications. Then the application of FRP composite in bridge engineering will be investigated, through three case studies. Four main issues contributing to the slow acceptance of the material into construction industry as a whole, despite its success in aerospace and automobile industries, are discussed at the end.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Tuakta, Chakrapan, 1980-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Oral Buyukozturk.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/31126

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/31126