ABSTRACT
Truss structures and braced framed structures have been designed and constructed using thin-walled
composite material fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP, commonly referred to as fiber-reinforced plastic)
pultruded members for over 30 years. Pultruded structural members (referred to as pultrusions or
pultruded shapes or pultruded profiles) have been used in a significant number of structures to-date,
such as pedestrian bridges, vehicular bridges, building frames, stair towers, cooling towers, and walkways
and platforms (Bakis et al. 2002). Pultruded members are often the materials of choice where significant
corrosion and chemical resistance is required (food processing, cooling towers, offshore platforms),
where electromagnetic transparency is required (electronics manufacturing, radomes), or where
accessibility is limited and lightweight skeletal structures are assembled on-site (pedestrian bridges in
parklands).
