Application and environmental evaluation of fibre reinforced polymers in movable bridge design

Abstract

This thesis consists of a research study concerning the application and environmental performance of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) for application in movable bridge design. The research is accompanied by a proposed redesign exploiting the advantageous properties of FRP and a life cycle assessment (LCA) of multiple FRP variants’ environmental impact compared to an existing steel variant. The subject of this case study is the Amaliabridge over the Gouwe canal in Gouda.The thesis was performed during an internship at Movares Adviseurs & Ingenieurs, a Dutch engineering and consultancy firm, among others specialised in movable bridges. The goal of the project was to ascertain how the environmental impact of an FRP movable bridge redesign would compare to the original steel design of the Amaliabridge. The scope of this thesis did not cover the mechanical analysis of the redesign and therefore does not provide a fully accurate representation, rather an indicative and explorative result that asks for further investigation.The resulting design is a rolling bascule type movable bridge, eliminating the need for a bascule basement as is required in a trunnion type bascule bridge. This leads to significantly less design, engineering and construction efforts. Additionally, the design aims at reusability, prolonging the lifespan of the bridge as much as possible.The environmental impact assessments yielded partially questionable results. A Cradle to Gate analysis was performed, in which the FRP variants performed better compared to steel variants. A Cradle to Cracle analysis was also performed, where FRP variants performed significantly less, as their End of Life scenario’s accounted for a significantly higher impact compared to the steel variants. These differences are probably caused by an allocation error and are therefore not regarded as proof of FRP performing better or worse compared to steel.