The second and final webinar in the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center’s Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Girder Webinar series will be held on June 27th from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. This webinar highlights the future installments and next-generation of the GBeam.
Free to Attend: https://lnkd.in/g4SwCmy7
A free webinar on the future of GBeam Technology
Additional Development of the GBeam
– Field LL Testing of Hampden Grist Mill Bridge
– Continued development of shear connectors (ridged, ridged with SS steel, perhaps FRP connectors if they prove out)
– Girder creep testing
– Girder web shear capacity
– Ongoing and planned future research
Manufacturing and Installation of GBeams
– Basic elements and evolution of the manufacturing process
– The future manufacturing process — pultrusion
– Installations in-place, in-fabrication and planned
GBeam technology is corrosion-resistant and designed to last over 100 years with little to no maintenance. The composite tub girders are lightweight, weighing as little as one-quarter the weight of steel girders. From the environmentally conscious materials and low maintenance during a longer life cycle expectancy to the faster and less disruptive installations, this technology is a promising, sustainable, low-cost alternative to steel and concrete.
As a result of its first installation, TIDC researchers have collaborated with AIT Bridges to create the next generation of G-Beam, the double t girder. This new design allows for the replacement and design of bridges with a shorter clearance and simplifies the manufacturing process. The first installation of the double t G-Beam is planned for the fall of 2022 in Hampden, Maine.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ERDC and the U.S. Department of Transportation provided funding for the research through the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center.
The TIDC is a consortium of six New England universities, led by UMaine, and is the 2018 Department of Transportation Region 1 University Transportation Center located in the ASCC. The mission of the TIDC is concentrated on developing innovative and sustainable solutions to the transportation infrastructure problems in New England and nationwide.
“This technology packs small, packs light, and can be deployed very quickly and easily,” said Dr. Habib Dagher, executive director, University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “The girders are designed to be stackable, which reduces transportation costs and lowers their carbon footprint. One flatbed truck can transport enough girders for four 70-ft long bridges, that is four Grist Mill bridges on one stretch-bed. The R&D we are conducting at the Composites Center is delivering practical solutions to address our deteriorating infrastructure that is more durable, sustainable, cost-effective, and creating jobs right here in Maine. The Grist Mill bridge showcases the real-world applications resulting from cutting-edge research in composite materials.”
