46.0 m long composites materials bridge: reduced-scale tests

Abstract

This article describes the work undertaken for the design of a bridge in composites materials. We will focus on the reduced-scale tests of the bridge carried on at the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja. At a first stage it was necessary to characterise the different materials that take part in the bridge design; afterwards, we characterised the structural elements of the bridge, such as connectors, stiffers, support elements? At the final stage of the design, we performed the reduced-scale tests which are shown in this article, as well as a full-scale test of one of the bridge?s beam. The reduced-scale tests were performed in order to assess on a first approach the structural behaviour, both in service behaviours as in a resistant capacity level. It is described the whole process, since the construction of the beams prototype, its instrumentation, and up to the performance of the tests.