Mode I fatigue delamination growth in composite laminates with fibre bridging

Advanced composite materials have been commonly used in aerospace engineering, because of their good mechanical properties and attractive potential for creating lightweight structures. Susceptibility to delamination is one of the most important issues in the applications of these materials. This disadvantage can prohibit the application of...

Test method to assess membrane layers fatigue response on orthotropic steel bridge decks

In order to adequately characterize the fatigue response of the various membranes with surrounding multilayer surfacing layers on orthotropic steel decks and collect the necessary parameters for FE modeling, the details of the cyclic Membrane Adhesion Tester (MAT) are introduced. The fatigue damage in membrane interface is related to the amount...

Experimental study of membrane fatigue response for asphalt multisurfacing systems on orthotropic steel deck bridges

In order to adequately characterize the fatigue response of the various membranes with surrounding multilayer surfacing layers on orthotropic steel decks and collect the necessary parameters for FE modeling, the details of the cyclic Membrane Adhesion Tester (MAT) are introduced. The fatigue damage in membrane interface is related to the amount...

Upgrading Old Movable Bridges with FRP Deck Application: The case study of Wilhelminabrug

Fibre Reinforced Polymer bridge decks, thanks to their beneficial properties and various advantages over traditional materials, have great potential as a material used in bridge engineering. They exercise high specific strength and stiffness-to-weight-ratio, a property particularly interesting from the point of view of designers, as it provides...

Renovation techniques for fatigue cracked orthotropic steel bridge decks

This dissertation presents the research into renovation techniques for orthotropic steel bridge decks. These techniques are needed to solve fatigue problems in the decks of these bridges, as several fatigue cracks have been detected in the deck structure of these bridges the last decade. A well-known example of fatigue cracks are those observed...

The behaviour of trough stiffener to crossbeam connections in orthotropic steel bridge decks

This article describes the behaviour and stress analysis of the crossbeams in orthotropic steel decks with continuous trapezoidal closed stiffeners. The trough stiffener to crossbeam connections, with or without cope holes, influence the behaviour of the crossbeam. The effects can be transferred to effective properties of a beam without cut outs...