Static and fatigue investigation of innovative second-generation steel-free bridge decks

This paper outlines the static and fatigue behavior of cast-in-place, second-generation steel-free bridge decks. Although cast monolithically, the first bridge deck was divided into three segments. The first segment was reinforced with steel, according to conventional design. The other two segments were steel-free designs with internal crack-control grids, one consisting of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and the other consisting of glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP). This hybrid CFRP or GFRP and steel strap design is called the second generation of the steel-free concrete bridge deck. The hybrid system limits the width of any longitudinal cracks that develop and eliminates corrosion from within the deck slab. All three segments were tested under cyclic loads of 222 and 588 kN to investigate fatigue behavior. The second bridge deck comprises an internal panel and two cantilevers and also incorporates a complete civionics system. The static tests outlined in this paper are useful in the development of the fatigue theory, which was derived from the fatigue testing of the first bridge deck.