Modeling and Analysis of GFRP Bridge Deck Panels Filled with Polyurethane Foam

Abstract

This paper presents finite-element analyses and analytical models of innovative, small-scale, prototype deck panels examined under monotonic bending. The deck panels consisted of two glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) facesheets separated by webs formed from E-glass-woven fabric placed around trapezoidal-shaped, low-density, polyurethane foam segments. The proposed panel exhibited a higher structural performance in terms of flexural stiffness, strength, and shear stiffness than those of conventional sandwich panels. Analytical models were used to predict critical facesheet wrinkling in the sandwich panel. Furthermore, a three-dimensional model using simulation software was developed for analysis of the proposed panel system under monotonic four-point loading. The finite-element results in terms of strength, stiffness, and deflection were found to be in good agreement with those from the experimental results. A parametric study was also conducted to further evaluate the effects of the stiffness of the top facesheet fiber layers, the mass density of the polyurethane foam, the existence of web layers, and the introduction of an overlay above the top facesheet. A flexural beam theory approach was used to predict the flexural strength of the sandwich panel.

A review on recent advances in sandwich structures based on polyurethane foam cores

“…PUF core‐based sandwich composites with either GFRP or metal face sheets have been very popular as panels for bridge decks in construction applications. Researchers in past years have mainly focused on flexural behavior, buckling and stress concentration in these bridge decks panels. Tuwair et al studied the influence of different environmental factors on such PU core‐based deck panels.…”

“…Deformation of bridge deck sandwich panel filled with PUF under experimental and Finite Element (FE) Tests [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]…”