Review of Bridge Decks Utilizing FRP Composites in the United States

This paper deals with the development, production and testing of different types of bridge decks utilizing FRP composites. The bridge decks discussed herein (concrete deck with FRP rebars; all FRP composite Hardcore Deck, H-Deck, Kansas Deck, MMM Deck and Cellular Deck) incorporate several different FRP composite bridge deck designs developed in the United States. A bridge utilizing FRP composite rebars in concrete deck is discussed first; followed by discussion of all FRP composite bridge decks. The information for each bridge system is summarized from referenced publications. Laboratory and field tests indicate that the bridge decks utilizing FRP composites are performing well. All FRP composite bridge decks are about five times lighter than concrete bridge decks. Other features of all FRP composite bridge decks are that they: (1) are well suited for modularization and mass production; (2) posess good energy absorbing capacity; (3) have enhanced fatigue and corossion resistant properties; and (4) require less erection time in the field since they are light-weight and use light equipment. At present, the higher initial cost of bridge decks utilizing FRP composites is an obstacle for their acceptance by bridge engineering community. The cost of bridge decks utilizing FRP composites will decrease as the demand increases, resulting in higher volume of production.