ABSTRACT
Pultruded Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite is increasingly applied in civil engineering due to the cost-effective ease of manufacturing and excellent material properties. GFRP bridge decks are a good alternative to traditional decks to eliminate deterioration and improve durability. However, considering the low in-plane shear modulus of pultruded GFRP, shear lag of GFRP cross sections could be a significant design issue. This paper presents a Finite Element (FE) parametric study on the influence of shear lag on pultruded GFRP bridge decks. A simply-supported GFRP bridge with different span lengths and bridge configurations are modelled under representative loading conditions. The effective width of the GFRP bridge decks are then obtained. Additionally, steel bridges with the same configurations are examined as comparisons of effective width. The results of this paper indicate the importance of considering that in the design of orthotropic-deck pultruded GFRP bridges, shear lag is comparable with traditional forms of construction.
