Design Concept and Verification of a Temporary Rescue Bridge Using GFRP and Steel Hybrid Structures

Design Concept and Verification of a Temporary Rescue Bridge Using GFRP and Steel Hybrid Structures

Typhoons and earthquakes, which occur frequently in Taiwan, often lead to the washout or collapse of river bridges, thereby interrupting traffic. A project was proposed at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering(NCREE) to restore traffic as soon as possible and to provide necessary emergency rescue services in the aftermath of these events. The proposed solution is to develop a type of temporary rescue bridge that is portable, reusable, and easily assembled by unskilled residents. The objective of this paper is to present the emerging design concept and verification of this temporary rescue bridge. An asymmetric, self-anchored, cable-stayed bridge with heavyweight segments used as a counter-weight at the rescue end and river-spanning segments constructed of lightweight materials is proposed. In the design verification stage, a series of cross-river tests are performed to assess its adherence to design requirements, followed by in situ, full-scale, flexural and dynamic tests to examine its performance and feasibility. The experimental assembly and results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed design concept and show the strong potential of using an asymmetric self-anchored cable-stayed bridge for temporary rescue operations.