Application of FRP materials in Culvert Road Bridges - A feasibility study with focus on mechanical behavior and lifecycle cost analysis

The aim of the thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using FRP materials in culvert road bridges. A literature study is carried out to identify the shortcomings of traditional steel culverts and advantages of FRP materials as a construction material for manufacture of culverts. A parametric study is carried out on design of a number of traditional steel culvert bridges and equivalent design is done using FRP sandwich. Finite element modelling is performed to verify and optimize the preliminary design of FRP culverts. Furthermore, a life-cycle-cost analysis of two types of culvert that investigated in this thesis is performed to represent economic advantages of FRP culverts.