• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.511-520
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• 2007

There is a concern with worldwide deterioration of highway bridges, particularly reinforced concrete. The advantages of fibre reinforced plastic(FRP) composites over conventional materials motivate their use in highway bridges for replacement of structures. Recently, an FRP deck has been installed on a state highway, located in New York State, as an experimental project. In this paper, a systematic approach for analysis of this FRP deck bridge is presented. Multi-step linear numerical analyses have been performed using the finite element method to study the structural behavior and the possible failure mechanism of the FRP deck-superstructure system. Deck's self-weight and ply orientations at the interface between steel girders and FRP deck are considered in this study. From this research, the results of the numerical analyses were corroborated with field test results. Analytical results reveal several potential failure mechanism for the FRP deck and truss bridge system. The results presented in this study may be used to propose engineering design guideline for new and replacement FRP bridge deck structure.