Influence of SLS design requirements on the material consumption and self-weight of web-core sandwich panel FRP composite footbridges

Uyttersprot, Jordi; Corte, Wouter De; Ingelbinck, Bram

doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.113334

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…A description of the design process and the influence of the design criteria is given in the paper [41]. Contrary to the process for for traditional materials, this is an iterative process in which adjustments to the basic material parameters can be made in consultation with the client in order to achieve an optimal design of the bridge structure.…”

Section: Design Phase 421 Design Of the Main Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intended use and service life of the structure with associated requirements for ultimate limit state (ULS) and serviceability limit state (SLS), i.e., deflection requirements and vibration requirements. In particular, the SLS requirements have a major impact on the material consumption and should be defined with care [41].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of the C-Bridge project, the papers [41,44] describe a concise analytical method for designing a web-core sandwich panel FRP footbridge, including a parametric study. In this paper, it is concluded that the design of a composite footbridge is almost exclusively based on serviceability limits, such as the maximum deflection and the natural frequency under a pedestrian flow.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vertical compressive stress in the webs caused by concentrated loads (load case 5: accidental impacts [41]) is significantly influenced by the lower value of this concentrated load used in the calculation note in comparison to the recommended value in Eurocode 1991 [52].…”

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confidence: 99%

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FRP Bridges in the Flanders Region: Experiences from the C-Bridge Project

Corte

Uyttersprot

2022

Applied Sciences

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At the start of the C-Bridge project in 2018, the number of fibre-reinforced composite bridges in the Flanders region of Belgium was limited to a handful. These limited achievements were largely due to the poor knowledge of clients (public and private), project managers, design engineers, and contractors, which made the option of composites either unknown or still viewed with a certain degree of suspicion. In addition, there were no standards at the Belgian or European level for the design of such constructions. The C-Bridge project (roadmap into design, guidelines, and execution of composite bridges in Flanders) aimed to stimulate the design, the realization and the construction of composite bridges in Flanders by providing the necessary knowledge to the construction sector in the most suitable form. This knowledge consists of the current state of the art of composites in bridge construction, selection criteria for composite bridges, recommendations for specification texts, and in situ testing of composite bridges and structural and vibration analysis. This C-Bridge project should allow the awarding authorities and contractors to be able to make informed choices regarding fibre-reinforced polymer (fibre composite) bridges but also offer the possibility of making the necessary transformation to this new and promising material to various Flemish companies. The results of the project enable Flemish clients to draw up specifications for FRP bridges in the correct manner. Moreover, they can correctly interpret the calculation notes made available and make a correct assessment. The Flemish engineering firms, on the other hand, will be able to make their own designs of FRP bridges and bridge components. They can also build up a value chain within Flanders with Flemish contractors and producers. From the producers and suppliers’ point of view, the results of the project will lead to a clearer profile of their products on the public and private market. Finally, the general contractors and constructors will be armed to withstand the challenges that FRP bridges entail to subcontractors in terms of execution, follow-up, delivery, and maintenance. The findings are helpful for the acceptance of fibre-reinforced composite bridges as an alternative to timber, steel, or concrete bridges and should generate a market expansion for FRP in the traditionally conservative bridge-building sector first in Flanders and later internationally.

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Section: Design Phase 421 Design Of the Main Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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FRP Bridges in the Flanders Region: Experiences from the C-Bridge Project

Corte

Uyttersprot

2022

Applied Sciences

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“…However, current international design guidelines [47][48][49][50] do not take this human-structure interaction into account, which leads to a poor estimation of the comfort level and the structural damping ratio [51][52][53] during the design. The design formulas in these guidelines may lead to excessive material usage, especially for materials with a low overall stiffness such as GFRP, as the design of this type of footbridge is dominated by a serviceability limit state (SLS) (i.e., deflection, first natural flexural frequency and vibration comfort) [51,54]. Consequently, if a slender and aesthetic design is to be maintained, extra mass and therefore material will be necessary, leading to an excessive use of material to meet the requirements of the client, with an additional increase in production costs and environmental impact as a result.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modal Parameter Identification and Comfort Assessment of GFRP Lightweight Footbridges in Relation to Human–Structure Interaction

Uyttersprot,

De Corte,

Van Paepegem

2023

J. Compos. Sci.

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With the emergence of slimmer footbridges and the introduction of lighter materials, the challenge of vibrational comfort assessment becomes more and more relevant. Previous studies have shown that each pedestrian will act both as an inducer and a damper, referred to as human–structure interaction. However, this interaction is currently not implemented in design guidelines, which leads to a poor comfort estimation for small lightweight footbridges. Derived from smartphone-based vibration measurements, this paper provides an overview of the modal parameters at various pedestrian densities and a comfort assessment of a selection of simply supported GFRP and steel lightweight footbridges in Flanders. The results indicate that the initial structural damping ratios for GFRP bridges exceed the values set in design guidelines and that they increase with an increasing pedestrian density. Further, it is shown that the measured accelerations do not relate proportionally to the pedestrian density. From both results the relevance of human–structure interaction is confirmed. Finally, while the first natural frequency is analytically predicted accurately, the vertical accelerations are substantially overestimated. Here, a better estimation can be made based on the experimentally measured damping ratios. The results contribute to a better understanding of human–structure interaction and the vibration assessment of lightweight footbridges. Practical applications include optimizing footbridge design, focussing on better performance and improving safety and user experience.

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