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This paper investigates the feasibility of using pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) for a 25 m pedestrian truss bridge. A detailed structural design and numerical analysis were carried out to evaluate the strength, stability and serviceability performance of GFRP as an alternative to conventional bridge materials. The bridge model incorporates pultruded U-channels, hollow square tubes, angle sections and custom composite members positioned according to structural requirements. Finite element analysis was performed in ANSYS Mechanical APDL using BEAM188 and SHELL181 elements for the truss and deck components, respectively. The bridge was assessed under multiple load combinations according to Eurocode, Eurocomp and relevant CEN standards. Ultimate and serviceability limit state verifications included strength, deflection, stability and buckling checks for compression members. Modal analysis was conducted to evaluate pedestrian comfort, and the cross-sections were optimized to ensure adequate load-carrying capacity while minimizing structural weight. Bolted connections were designed and verified in IDEA StatiCa using forces from the finite element model. The results show that the proposed GFRP bridge satisfies safety and serviceability criteria, with low deflections, sufficient load-carrying capacity and acceptable natural frequencies. The study confirms pultruded GFRP as a lightweight, sustainable and corrosion-resistant solution for pedestrian bridge applications.
| Topic Area | Fatigue, Corrosion and Structural Integrity of Engineering Structures and Mechanical Systems |
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