Fatigue Properties and Application Feasibility of CFRP Laminate as Cable in Long-Span Suspension Bridge with High-Speed Train Load

Abstract Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) cable members have been tentatively applied in a few bridges and a spatial cantilever structure. This paper presents an evaluation method to discuss the feasibility of applying CFRP composite laminate as a cable in bridges, considering stiffness degradation induced by cumulative fatigue damage. The life prediction model is derived to simulate the propagation of fatigue damage in a CFRP laminate strap, and it shows good agreement with experimental data from cyclic tensile fatigue and residual ultimate strength tests. Furthermore, a train-track-bridge coupled vibration (TTBCV) model is developed to investigate the structural vibration behavior in a suspension bridge with hybrid CFRP cables. The practical fatigue damage indicates that CFRP laminates are effective as cable members in terms of fatigue performance under high-speed train loads.