Hybrid structures consisting of FRP(fiber reinforce polymer) composite decks
connected to a steel girder superstructure are gaining more attention by combining the stiffness of steel members with good fatigue endurance and high strength to weight ratio of FRP. However, when composite material FRP is exposed to elevated temperature, delamination and strength reduction could appear due to low transition temperature of fiber and resin. As a result, predicting the temperature of the FRP bridge deck becomes a preliminary requirement for the further study of the FRP bridge deck.
This research is trying to simulate the heat transfer process of the FRP bridge
deck and predict the temperature changing process when it is exposed to natural environment. To reach this goal, experiment and FEM(finite element model) are used as main methods. By detecting temperature change history of the FRP bridge deck specimen during hot weathers in Delft, Netherlands, the maximum temperature and heat transfer process of the FRP bridge deck could be studied. On the basis of experimental results, an detailed FEM in Abaqus is built up to simulate the heat transfer process of the specimen used in the experiment. After validating the accuracy of FEM result with experimental data, the FEM is used to predict the temperature of FRP bridge deck that exposed to natural environment in the hottest weather of Netherlands.
In conclusion, the results shows that the temperature of FRP structures could be
well predicted which only has 10.5% variance predicting the maximum temperature on the top surface of the specimen and high accuracy of 6% predicting the average temperature of the FRP panels along the thickness. It also has high accuracy of 3.5% predicting the maximum web-core temperature difference. The only insufficient part is that the average temperature difference of web-core has a deviation of 21% with the experimental data. As FRP panels make up the web and flange of the bridge deck which are the main structural parts that bear the stresses, the inaccuracy of predicting temperature of the core is acceptable.