Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Deck Panels on a Vertical Lift Bridge

Caltrans is replacing some panels of open steel grating on the Schuyler Heim lift bridge (Long Beach, CA) with lightweight fiber reinforced composite panels developed by Martin Marietta Composites. These 5-inch thick panels are made of a hollow fiberglass core with carbon fiber reinforced face sheets. This paper discusses the design of the deck panels for HS -25 loading and stringent deflection limits. Also discussed are results from structural verification tests conducted on panel specimens.