Experimental Investigation of GFRP Hybrid Full-scale Bridge Deck Panels Subjected to AASHTO Design Truck Wheel Load

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panel in bridge deck applications. This new system integrates a polyurethane foam core that is sandwiched between two GFRP facings. With the purpose of investigating the performance of this new system, experimental static testing was performed. The investigation focused on the ultimate flexural strength capacity, stiffness, and panel-to-panel connection of the proposed bridge deck. The results of the flexural testing showed that the tested bridge deck panels exceeded the AASHTO Design Code Strength requirements by nearly three times. In addition, the bonded butt-type sandwich panel-to-panel connection transferred the loading between the panels beyond that required by code. 