Advanced FRP-Wood Composites in Bridge Applications

H.J. Dagher, Ph.D., P.E. *, Melanie Bragdon**

*

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Director, Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, and Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering,
University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; PH 207-947-0622; hd@umit.maine.edu
**
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469

Abstract
This paper describes two technologies for reinforcing or strengthening timber bridges with FiberReinforced Polymers (FRP). The first consists of reinforcing the tension side of glulam girders or decks
with unidirectional FRP. This technology allows to significantly increase the flexural strength of girders,
particularly when low-grade laminating stock is used. The second consists of post-tensioning stresslaminated timber decks with transverse Glass FRP (GFRP) 7-wire strands. The paper briefly describes
three demonstration bridges constructed in Maine using different aspects of these technologies: (1) the
Medway FRP-glulam girder bridge, (2) the Milbridge FRP-glulam deck vehicular pier and (3) the
Milbridge GFRP stress-laminated deck.
Introduction
This paper illustrates the applications of two technologies for reinforcing or prestressing timber bridges
with Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP):
(1) The first technology consists of reinforcing the tension side of glulam girders or decks with
unidirectional FRP. This technology allows to significantly increase the bending strength of the
flexural element, particularly when low-grade laminating stock is used. UM studies have
demonstrated, for example, that E-Glass-FRP (GFRP) tension reinforcement ratio in the order of
3% can increase the allowable bending strength of glulam beams by over 100% (. While the gains
in bending strength are significant, the corresponding gains in bending stiffness are in the order of
15%. Therefore, this technology is most appropriate when deflections, rather than strength control
the design. Two demonstration bridges using different aspects of this technology are briefly
described: The Medway FRP-glulam girder bridge, designed for HS 25 loading, and the Milbridge
FRP-glulam deck vehicular pier. The difference between the two projects is that the first uses
horizontally laminated girders whereas the second uses vertically laminated deck panels. Both the
girders and the deck panels are reinforced on the tension side.
(2) The second technology consists of post-tensioning stress-laminated timber decks with transverse
Glass FRP (GFRP) 7-wire strands. Stress-laminated timber decks offer a simple form of shortspan bridge construction in which longitudinal wood laminations are transversely post-tensioned
using typically steel threadbars. The friction generated between the wood laminations causes the
deck to perform as an orthotropic plate. One drawback of the system is the necessity to retension
the steel threadbars in service. Creep in the wood and drying of the wood laminations often cause
prestress losses in excess of 50% in service. To reduce prestress losses and avoid the need to
retension the bridges in service, the University of Maine conducted a 6-year study that developed

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an alternative stressing system using Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) tendons. These

GFRP tendons have a modulus of elasticity equal to 1/5 that of steel threadbars; therefore, they
retain a larger fraction of their prestress force than steel when drying shrinkage and creep of the
wood deck occur. This paper briefly describes the design, construction and field monitoring of a
stress-laminated deck located in Milbridge, Maine, and post-tensioned with the new GFRP
tendons. It also compares the prestress losses observed in Milbridge with those in two other
stresslam timber decks: one constructed in a University of Maine laboratory in 1996 and posttensioned with GFRP tendons, and the other constructed in Gray, Maine, in 1991 and posttensioned with steel threadbars. All three stresslam decks were constructed using #2 North East
Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA)-graded Maine-grown eastern hemlock, allowing for
proper comparison of the prestress losses.
FRP-Glulam Demonstration Bridges
Two demonstration bridges using different aspects of FRP-glulam technology are described: The
Medway FRP-glulam girder bridge, designed for HS 25 loading, and the Milbridge FRP-glulam deck
vehicular pier, designed for HS 20 loading. The difference between the two projects is that the first
uses horizontally laminated girders whereas the second uses vertically laminated deck panels. Both the
girders and the deck panels are reinforced with GFRP on the tension side.
Medway Bridge. This is a 54 ft (16.5 m) long, two-lane, FRP-glulam girder bridge with a glulam deck.
The bridge was designed using HS25 loading. Pultruded GFRP sheets were used to reinforce the
Medway girders as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The glulam girder design values were: Fb = 2,400 psi
and MOE = 1.8 106 psi. The girder dimensions were: Depth = 51 inches; width 5-1/8 inches; and
length = 54 ft. The FRP properties parallel to the axis of the beam were: MOE = 6 Million psi and
tension strength = 104 Million psi. The FRP dimensions were: 4.75 inches x 1/2-inch total thickness x
54 ft long. The FRP was placed one lamination up from the bottom of the beam (see Figure 1). The
extra wood lamination provided protection for the FRP during shipment and construction. Creosote
treatment was applied after the FRP was bonded to the beam. The FRP reinforcement in this
application was sacrificial. The bridge is being monitored to evaluate the degradation of the GFRP as
well as degradation of the GFRP-Wood bond lines.
Milbridge Commercial Pier: FRP-glulam decks. The 175 ft (53 m) long by 16 ft (4.9 m) wide
vehicular pier was designed using HS 20 loading. It consists of eight simple spans, approximately 21.5
ft (6.6 m) long each. Each span consists of four FRP-glulam longitudinal panels 4 ft. wide x 21.5 ft.
long x 10.5 in. thick, placed side by side and connected using an underdeck distribution beam at
midspan. Each panel is reinforced on the tension side with a 1/10-inch thick GFRP composite, which
was applied at the University of Maine (Figure 4). The GFRP consists of a wet-impregnated
unidirectional stitched fabric, 4 ft wide, which was applied to the wood and allowed to cure under
mechanical pressure. Four layers of a 26 oz fabric were used to obtain the 1/10 inch thick FRP.
Urethane coatings were applied to the FRP for UV protection. The glulam panels were pre-treated
with CCA. Construction took place in Sept. through Dec. 2000.

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Outer Compression Zone: 10% of depth or 4 x1.5 lams; Grade 2.0E-1/3

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Inner Compression Zone: 15% of depth or 6x1.5 lams; Grade 1.8E-1/3

51- 1/4 inch

Core: Max 50% of depth or 13x1.5 lams; Grade NELMA #2

Inner Tension Zone: 15% of Depth or 6x1.5 lams; Grade 1.8E-1/3

Outer Tension Zone: 10% of Depth or 4x1.5 lams; Grade 2.0E-1/3

Bottom 2 lams, slope of grain 1/16
5 1/8

FRP: 1/2 thick

1.25 inch wood lam
Grade 2.0E-1/3
Slope of Grain=1/16

Figure 1. FRP-Glulam Girder Lay-up for Medway Bridge

FRP
Figure 2. Medway 54 ft (16.5 meter) FRP-Glulam Girder Bridge

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Figure 3. Milbridge Vehicular Pier 175 ft (53 m) and 16 ft (4.9 m) wide

Figure 4. Application of Wet-Impregnated GFRP unidirectional Stitched Fabric

on Milbridge Glulam Deck Panel (UMaine Advanced Wood Composites
Laboratory).

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The main advantage of the FRP-glulam deck design is its lightweight nature which reduces construction
costs. The FRP-glulam decks weighed about one-third as much as the equivalent prestressed concrete
deck panels. The pier will be monitored for a period of 5 years with particular emphasis to FRP
degradation and the FRP-wood bond integrity.

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GFRP-Stress-Laminated Demonstration Deck in Milbridge, Maine

Stress-laminated timber bridges offer a popular, simple form of construction, in which longitudinal wood
laminations are transversely post-tensioned using steel threadbars. The friction generated between the
wood laminations causes the deck to perform as an orthotropic plate. One drawback of the system is
the necessity to retension the steel threadbars in service. Creep in the wood and drying of the wood
laminations often cause prestress losses in excess of 50 % in service (Dimakis and Oliva 1988,
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials [AASHTO] 1991).
The objective of this demonstration project was to design, construct, and field monitor a stresslaminated timber bridge that is prestressed with GFRP tendons. The low-modulus GFRP was selected
to reduce prestress losses and possibly avoid the need to retension the bridges in service. The projects
scope included the design and construction of the Milbridge bridge and monitoring of its prestress level
and wood-moisture content for a 2-year period. During the monitoring, periodic assessment of the
condition of the prestressing system, wood components, and wearing surface of the Milbridge bridge
was performed. The project also compared the prestress losses observed in Milbridge with those in a
similar bridge constructed in Gray, Maine, in 1991 using steel prestressing threadbars.
The Milbridge bridge was completed in summer 1997 and is located on Washington Street in Milbridge,
Maine (Figure 5 and 6). The bridge is constructed from 2-x-14-in. Chromated-Copper-Arsenate
(CCA)-treated eastern hemlock laminations. The bridge is a single-span, two-lane, stress-laminated
deck structure that is approximately 16 ft long and 25 ft wide and is prestressed with twelve -in.diameter GFRP tendons.
During the first 2 years of service, the prestress loss in the Milbridge deck was only 14 %: 12 % in
the first three months and 2 % in the following 26 months (Figure 7). In contrast, the steel threadbars of
a similar bridge located in a similar environment in Gray, Maine, were retensioned twice during the first
2 months of service (Figure 7). The stress in the steel threadbars continued to decrease, and the bars
lost 67% of their prestress in the 27 months following the second restressing.
It is concluded that the GFRP tendons used in this study significantly reduced prestress losses in
stresslam timber decks versus steel threadbars. After approximately 2 years of service, the Milbridge
deck retained 86% of its initial prestress and performed satisfactorily without being restressed.

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Figure 5. Milbridge Deck Modules were

Placed Across Abutments with a Backhoe

Figure 6. Elevation of Milbridge Stress-Laminated Deck with

Draped GFRP Tendons Visible in the Foreground

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Percent of initial prestress

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100

Milbridge Bridge, GFRP tendons

75

Gray bridge, steel threaded bars

50

25

0
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Days
Figure 7. Comparison of the prestress force retained in the
Milbridge bridge, which is prestressed with GFRP tendons,
and the Gray bridge, which is prestressed with high-strength
steel threaded bars.
Conclusions
This paper described two technologies for timber bridges strengthened with Fiber-Reinforced Polymers
(FRP). The first technology consisted of reinforcing the tension side of glulam girders or glulam decks
with unidirectional GFRP. The second consisted of post-tensioning stress-laminated timber decks with
transverse Glass FRP (GFRP) tendons. The paper described three demonstration bridges constructed
in Maine using different aspects of these technologies: (1) A 54 ft long FRP-glulam girder bridge in
Medway, (2) a 175 ft long FRP-glulam deck vehicular pier in Milbridge and (3) a 16 ft long GFRP
stress-laminated deck also in Milbridge. The FRP-glulam deck weighed one-third as much as an
equivalent prestressed concrete deck. After approximately 2 years of service, the Milbridge GFRPstresslam deck retained 86% of its initial prestress and performed satisfactorily without being restressed.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this work was provided by the Federal Highway Administration, the USDA Forest
Products Laboratory, the USDA-WUR program and the National Science Foundation.
References
AASHTO (1991). Guide specifications for the design of stress-laminated wood decks. Washington,
D. C.: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Dimakis, A. G.; Oliva, M. G. (1988). Behavior of Stress-Laminated Timber Parallel Chord Bridge
Decks: Testing and Analytical Correlation. Report 88-1, College of Engineering, Univ. of
Wisconsin.

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