Research Information System
10th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE), İstanbul, Turkey, 8 - 10 December 2021, vol.198, pp.1119-1132
Currently, the number of fibre reinforced composite bridges in the Flanders region of Belgium is limited to a handful. These limited achievements are largely due to poor knowledge of clients (public and private), project managers, design engineers and contractors, which makes this option either unknown or still viewed with a certain degree of suspicion. In addition, there are no standards at Belgian or European level for the design of such constructions. The C-bridge project (roadmap into design, guidelines and execution of composite bridges in Flanders) aims to stimulate the design, the realization and the construction of composite bridges in Flanders by providing the necessary knowledge to the construction sector in the most suitable form. This knowledge will allow the awarding authorities and contractors to be able to make informed choices regarding fibre reinforced polymer bridges, but also offer the possibility to various Flemish companies to make the necessary transformation to this new and promising material. The paper presents results from the C-bridge project including a state of the art report, an analysis of the selection, cost determination and project specifications in Flanders, an overview of structural analysis and calculation methods, and a case study related to a recently built fibre reinforced composite bridge in Flanders. The results are helpful for the acceptance of fibre reinforced composite bridges as an alternative to timber, steel or concrete bridges, in Flanders and internationally.