Simulation study on construction process of FRP bridge deck panels

In order to further enhance the application of fiber-reinforced composites in infrastructure renewal, it will be important to determine the productivity, man-hour requirements, and system bottlenecks that are important for understanding their construction process. Process modeling and simulation study were used to determine the productivity and cost per hour of installation in both FRP bridge deck panel and partial-depth precast concrete deck construction. The simulated results are applied to an example situation to compare two systems for rehabilitating bridge decks. Based on the simulation study, the productivity of FRP bridge deck panels is approximately four times higher than that of precast concrete decks. However, in comparison with the cost per hour including initial material cost of both systems, the cost per hour of partial-depth precast concrete decks is approximately four times cheaper than that of FRP bridge deck panels. The results show that the FRP bridge deck panels, as of now, are not cost-effective option for rehabilitating highway bridge decks unless it is expected to reduce the higher initial materials costs. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.