Numerical and Experimental Studies of the Use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers in Long-Span Suspension Bridges

Abstract

For the construction of transport infrastructure (including pipeline bridges for oil and gas transportation) in the conditions of the Far North, it is necessary to improve modern regulatory and technological base for using the fiber-reinforcing polymers. It is necessary to conduct searching research to determine the conditions and shapes of application of the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) in the load-bearing structures of bridges and pipelines through barriers. One such searching research is the study of the use of a suspension hybrid bridge with a superstructure of FRP. For this purpose, the calculations of finite-element models of pedestrian suspension bridges were performed and their aerodynamic stability was investigated on the section models in a wind tunnel. The novelty of the study consists in the proposed additions to the structure of the bridge, and the permissible geometric of the cross-sections of the superstructure were established for ensuring aerodynamic stability. Finally, this was the first time that it was directly established that the strength, stiffness and aerodynamic stability of a suspension hybrid bridge were provided.

Keywords

• aerodynamic
• fiberglass
• fiber-reinforced polymers
• finite-element model
• galloping
• pipeline bridges