Prof. Ahmed Saeed Debaiky :: Publications:

In the context of the state of deterioration of North America’s bridges, researchers have been working on improving the performance of current designs. All-FRP bridge slabs have attracted increased interest since the mid 90s. These slabs offer notable advantages over traditional reinforced concrete slabs. These advantages include lighter weight, better durability and faster installation among others. This research focuses on the development of a thermoplastic fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge slab for the replacement of wood logs that are part of the deck structure of a popular steel/timber bridge design. Different structural profiles have been explored through finite element analysis and two slab prototypes have been fabricated. These full-scale prototypes have dimensions of approximately 3200mm×1200mm×250mm and cover two lateral spans. Both prototypes were tested under concentrated static loading and one was subjected to above two million cycles of loading. The slab deflection and FRP laminate stress levels under loading were recorded. The retention of the slab rigidity was monitored at regular intervals during cyclic fatigue loading. No significant rigidity loss was observed during this period.