Investigation on Structural Performances of Suspended Plank Road

ABSTRACT The suspended plank road of Chadong'an is a part of project in 5A scenic, which is about 400 m height from the valley, thus its safety is crucial for tourists. In order to investigate structural performances of the suspended plank road of Chadong'an, the concrete compressive strength of the cantilever beams, the bonding property between steel reinforcement and rock, the displacements of the cantilever beams, and their handrails have been measured under the hammer rebound method, pull‐out test, and loading test, respectively. Furthermore, the measured compressive strength, bonding behaviors, displacements, and residual deformations were compared with theoretical values in accordance with specifications. The results show that the concrete compressive strength is within the range of 33.6–38.3 MPa. In addition, no slip or crack between steel reinforcement and rock has been generated, and the load reduction ratio of the steel reinforcement during the load holding process is within the scope of 2.1%–4.5%. Moreover, the reinforced concrete cantilever beams and their handrails are in the elastic regime when loaded, and the residual deformations ranged from 0.01 to 0.02 mm, corresponding to variation ratios of 0.56%–2.56%. At the same time, the residual deformation of the handrails and corresponding variation ratios are 0.15–0.25 mm and 2.85%–3.98%, respectively. Therefore, the suspended plank road is under the requirements of specifics, and it is safe. This study can be utilized to develop guidelines for analyzing the performances of the suspended plank road, as well as it can help supply information to improve new and existing suspended plank road robustness against loading and environmental effects.