Demonstration of thermoplastic composite I-beam design bridge at Camp Mackall, NC : final report on Projects FY08-16 and FY09-31

Abstract

Bridges are essential to many military installations, especially in remote training areas. Like many of our nation's infrastructure bridges, U.S. Army bridges are in critical need of maintenance and repair due to the combination of wear and tear and material degradation, especially the hundreds of wood timber bridges. Repair or replacement represents a major cost to the Army that could be minimized by using cost-competitive, longer-lasting bridges. This effort determined that the innovative use of thermoplastic materials was successful in engineering and constructing a new bridge design that could safely carry the same or greater loads, be virtually maintenance-free, and be cost competitive on a first-cost basis when compared to wood timber bridges. Both the initial load testing and long-term monitoring as well as the life-cycle economic analysis for this project validated the beneficial use of the innovative thermoplastic materials and I-beam design. Moreover, this work is the first recorded effort to construct and demonstrate that a thermoplastic composite bridge of any type can bear the load of a 71-ton (64 Mg) Abrams tank. The results show that the design and materials achieved and surpassed their objectives, and they are recommended to be adopted on a widespread basis. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents.

PEAD reciclado reforzado por fibra de vidrio. Aplicación en cubiertas

“…Existen pocos ejemplos del uso de termoplásticos reciclados en muros divisorios, fachadas y puentes (como el muelle en Tiffany Street 1998 o el Puente en arco Albany NY 2000), con una limitada aplicación dentro de las estructuras, así como un desconocimiento de las técnicas y procedimientos constructivos para formar estructuras con estos (Lampo et al, 2018). Autores como Magued Iskander, han realizado investigaciones sobre la utilidad de los termoplásticos como el polietileno de alta densidad y el polipropileno reciclados, aplicados a pilotes marítimos, en donde se reconoce la utilidad de estos materiales, los puntos para próximas investigaciones y la necesidad de formar normas que permitan la ampliación del uso de estos materiales reciclados (Bozorg-Haddad et al, 2012), para aprovechar sus propiedades, aunado al uso de elementos que podrían convertirse en un residuo.…”