The reinforcement of pedestrian bridge with PFRP beams

As much known the use of FRP materials (especially sheet and lamina) through glued technology as reinforcement of structures made with steel, wood and RC is by now widely utilized. The employment of pultruded structural elements made usually with glass fiber (PFRP, pultruded fiber reinforced polymer) as strengthening is less frequently.

This paper describes one of the first cases in Italy in which the PFRP structural elements will be employed to increment the stiffness of the deck of pedestrian bridge initially made with steel and wood. The structural reinforcement provide to use the “I” shape PFRP beams connected with PFRP plate and stainless steel bolts (beam-beam connection) put in the deck side by side alternatively to rectangular wood beam.

This solution gives benefits in term of strength and stiffness with very low increment of load, in term of easily to realize and assembling and finally for durability aspect, since the pedestrian bridge is located in Venice.

The paper shows the structural design solution and especially the analytical evaluation of the global stiffness of the deck given by the contemporary presence of PFRP and wood beams and reticular steel beam located at the edge.