Structural / Civil engineering applications of FRP
Overview
FRP Composites show an important potential for the construction sector. They are proportionately stronger and lighter than conventional building materials such as concrete and steel, they are more durable than wood, and require less maintenance. For example, when looking at footbridges, foreign and Flemish (C-bridge) experience shows that this material offers an added value. In the context of the greening of mobility, this type of bridges will have an important place in the future infrastructure. But also for road bridges for light and moderate road traffic, for bridge decks and for replacement and extension of existing bridges, the material offers important advantages. Similarly the material is applied in lock gates, sheet pilings, façade elements, hand railings, roof structures, canopies,… , and the market share shows an increasing trend.
The research groups of prof. dr. ir. Wouter De Corte and prof. dr. ir. Stijn Matthys study the structural behaviour of FRP composites using experimental and numerical analysis, focusing among others to the following topics:
- ULS / SLS design, and the influence on the material consumption of FRP footbridges (W. De Corte)
- Dynamic properties of FRP footbridges and their relation to pedestrian comfort (W. De Corte)
- Study of non-plane-parallel skin materials for FRP bridges (W. De Corte)
C-Bridge composite bridge