Design and procurement of FRP bridges

Research Project, 2013 – 2015

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have attracted a great deal of attention in infrastructural applications. Superior mechanical properties such as high specific strength and stiffness, corrosion resistance and light weight have made these materials suitable alternatives for traditional construction materials. The light weight of FRPs enables off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly which could lead to great savings as the on-site construction time and traffic disturbance are minimized.  There is not however, much experience available in design and construction of FRP bridges. This project is carried out in collaboration with Swedish Transport Administration and aims to define the technical requirements from the client point of view and establishing an efficient process for construction and procurement of FRP bridges. 

 The project is carried out at the Division of Structural Engineering in the research group Steel and Timber Strucutures