Application of polymer composite materials in road bridge superstructures

The development of the bridge construction industry is closely connected with the materials used for the engineering structures construction. At present, the most widespread are reinforced concrete, metal and steel reinforced concrete bridge superstructures. However, in the conditions of constant construction industry development, there is a need for wider use of modern construction materials, structures and search for new technical solutions. One of such directions is the application of polymer composite materials. Nowadays there are more than 360 bridges from polymer composite materials in the world, 150 of which are motorway bridges and the rest are pedestrian bridges. The team of the Research and Development enterprise «APATEK» has designed, built and tested the world’s first all-composite railway beam superstructure made by pultruded technology. The use of polymer composites as a material for road bridge superstructures is a promising direction for research, design and construction, taking into account the use of positive properties of composite materials, such as high strength and rigidity, relatively lightweight, resistance to chemical influences, durability, lack of electrical conductivity, ability to directional change of physical and mechanical properties, increase of fracture toughness, stiffness, strength and other properties of composite materials. Bridge superstructures made of polymer composite materials are subdivided into hybrid and all-composite. The production technology of bridge structures from polymer composite materials is represented by two types: vacuum infusion and pultrusion. The most frequently used composite materials in bridge construction are carbon fibre reinforced plastic and fibreglass reinforced plastic. Absence of normative-technical requirements and methodical base for design, construction and operation of bridges with spans from polymer composite materials on highways of Russia require research and their development or creation of special technical conditions in case of experimental and development objects construction.