Hardwire Reinforces Balsa-cored Bridge Deck Project in Louisiana
Composites core supplier ALCAN BALTEK Corp. (Northvale, N.J., USA) has announced that on Sept. 30, the first balsa-cored composite bridge deck installed in Louisiana was opened to traffic over the Pierre Part Bayou in Assumption Parish, La. Although BALTEK end grain balsa had been used previously for other commercial and military road and bridge deck projects, this installation is believed to be the first balsa-cored composite deck project containing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or Buckytubes, as well as the largest nanotube object molded to date.
The project is part of an Investigational Bridge Research Deployment (IBRD) grant originated with the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC). The development of the composite bridge deck was jointly undertaken by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD), Louisiana State University (LSU), Crescent City Composites, and the Technical Services team of ALCAN BALTEK Corp., a part of ALCAN COMPOSITES Core Materials.
“This joint development project promotes composite construction as an alternative to steel or concrete bridge structures,” says Marc Anderson, director marketing & sales Americas, ALCAN COMPOSITES Core Materials. “The composite bridge deck design is expected to be the first of many in Louisiana to replace traditional steel grating structures over these many regional bayous.”
The light-weight composite panels allow for fabrication off site and quick installation, which results in less downtime for the bridge and substantially less traffic disruption, as well as less constriction on important evacuation routes during hurricane season. Moreover, the panels are immune to corrosion, which shortens the life-span of steel structures, especially over brackish waters.
Being replacement panels for existing steel construction means that the geometry, specifically the thickness of the panel, is dictated by the existing bridge structure. Therefore, to achieve the required stiffness within the restricted thickness, layers of HARDWIRE HIGH-TENSILE STRENGHT STEEL REINFORCEMENTS were used in conjunction with conventional biaxial glass fiber in the structural skins.
About Hardwire - Hardwire, LLC (www.hardwirellc.com) produces proprietary and unique value-added products for a variety of advanced composite applications including military vehicle armor and protective solutions for critical infrastructure including buildings, bridges, and utilities.
