Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Construction in Illinois

摘要

An experiment was conducted using a fiber reinforced polymer composite material for the bridge deck of a low volume bridge. The test location was on South Fayette Street over the Town Brook in Jacksonville, Illinois. This project included removal of the existing single span pony truss structure and replacement with a wider, and longer, three-span plate girder structure with the experimental decking material. The fiber reinforced polymer composite material used was 'DuraSpan(trademark)' manufactured by Martin Marietta Composites. The composite tubes are manufactured by the pultrusion process. The tubes are pre-cut to fit the dimensions of each individual bridge and bonded together in the factory to form panels. The panels are assembled on the bridge deck with epoxied field joints to form the completed bridge deck. This report summarizes the construction activities for the structure on South Fayette Street in Jacksonville. Details of the planning, design, construction methods, and construction costs are addressed.