Resilience and economical sustainability of a FRP reinforced concrete bridge in Florida: LCC analysis at the design stage

Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) play a major role in civil engineering applications. FRP reinforcement guarantees resilience and corrosion-resistance to reinforced concrete (RC) and prestressed concrete (PC) structures. Glass FRP (GFRP) and Carbon FRP (CFRP) reinforcement represent proven non-metallic solutions, able to ensure the required mechanical resistance to RC and PC structures. The research presented hereinafter addresses the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis of an FRP-RC/PC bridge in Florida, at the design stage. The structure is designed for a 100-year service life. The analysis is performed in compliance with the international standard ISO 15686-5 (ISO, 2008). The bridge main structure consists of CFRP square PC bearing piles, CFRP-PC/GFRP-RC sheet piles, GFRPRC girders, GFRP-RC bent caps, GFRP-RC bulkhead caps, traffic railings and approach slabs and a 20m long GFRP-RC gravity wall, resulting in the absence of any steel reinforcement in the entire design. According to ISO (2008) the costs that should be included in LCC analysis are those relative to the construction, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life. Generally, maintenance includes replacement or repair. Externally bonded reinforcement or cathodic protection are also common solutions applied to restore/strengthen the existing structure, or to prevent further strength degradation. These solutions are relatively expensive and, in some cases, require challenging over-water or in-water working activities. This paper focuses on the construction costs. The initial cost of the FRP reinforcement is recovered thanks to their long-term durability. Further savings are expected to be achieved with FRP if maintenance costs are included in the analysis.