The European project SUREBridge - Analysis of a case study bridge

The European research project SUREBridge (Sustainable Refurbishment of Existing Bridges) is developing a new concept for the structural strengthening of road bridges: glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panels are installed on top of the existing concrete slabs; pre-stressed carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are adhesively bonded to the bottom of the longitudinal girders. A real bridge located in San Miniato (Pisa) was selected as a case study for the design of a strengthening intervention. A finite element model of the existing bridge was created by using the commercial finite element software Straus7®. The outcomes of an in situ experimental campaign were used to define the geometry of the BEAM and PLATE elements, as well as their material properties. A finite element model of the strengthened bridge was then developed to evaluate the increased load-carrying capacity and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.