Abstract

Fiber-reinforced polymer pedestrian bridges are becoming a competitive alternative to conventional concrete or steel pedestrian bridges in the span range from 5 to 30 m. In order to consider it as a viable alternative, it is necessary, among other things, to be price competitive in the total cost of the bridge, including construction and full-life maintenance. One of the ways of making the cost competitive is to normalize a few cross-sections and create a catalog of standard cross-sections and shapes depending on the load conditions and ranges of spans. The objective of this work has been to create this catalog, taking into account the following items: A detailed economic analysis of the impact of every sub cost in the total construction and maintenance cost. A detailed structural analysis and optimization, by using MEF, of different cross-section and laminate solutions has been carried out, both under static and dynamic loads, in order to achieve the best possible design. The preparation of a specialized FEM analysis software that already includes in its database the chosen laminates as well as automatized geometrical construction and standarised load cases definition. With all these tools, it is possible to make highly reusable molds for the laminates and it is possible to make the final cost of the FRP pedestrian bridge more competitive.