COMPOSITE REINFORCEMENT IN BRIDGE SPANS

Abstract

Bridge operating conditions are often characterized by the impact of aggressive environmental factors that lead to intense corrosion of steel reinforcement, a traditional material for reinforcing reinforced concrete structures. The search for and implementation of new, durable and corrosion-resistant materials for reinforcement is a priority for modern bridge construction. One of these promising materials is non-metallic composite reinforcement made on the basis of high-strength glass or basalt fibers and a polymer binder. It has a number of advantages over steel, which makes it attractive for use in bridge structures. The article is devoted to the study of the use of composite reinforcement in bridge construction, in particular for reinforcing girders of span structures. The aim of the work is to compare the efficiency of using steel and composite reinforcement (fiberglass and basalt) in a 12 m long girder of a span structure. The calculations were performed in the LIRA-FEM software package using finite element modeling. Static and structural calculations were performed for four reinforcement options: steel reinforcement, fiberglass reinforcement, basalt reinforcement, and non-metallic composite periodic profile reinforcement. The results of calculating the required reinforcement area for 4 design variants are presented, separately to meet the requirements of the first and second groups of limit states. Also, the required reinforcement area is compared with its total weight in the beam. The stress-strain analysis confirmed the acceptability of the composite reinforcement in terms of strength characteristics. At the same time, the low modulus of elasticity of composite materials requires careful design for load-bearing structures due to the higher deformations. The study emphasizes the economic and technical advantages of composite reinforcement to improve the durability and efficiency of bridge structures, as well as the need for further research to optimize its use in real-world projects.