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Biobased construction of bridges

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Biobased construction of bridges

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1.2 Problem statement As previously mentioned, a fully biobased pedestrian bridge was built in 2016 in Eindhoven University of Technology, over the river Dommel. This was a 14m bridge made from hemp and flex-fibre base. The project was developed by multiple parties including CoE BBE. The initiators of the project hoped that the bridge would show the potential of biobased composite as a sustainable alternative to existing environmentally harmful construction materials. In order to develop the bio-based composite, the fibres were stuck to a biological PLA foam (polylactic acid) core and then a bio resin was sucked into the fibre layers using a vacuum, which produced a very
strong girder when hardened. After installation the bridge load capacity was successfully tested for the municipality of Eindhoven, however the lifespan of the bridge and its durability is still unknown. For this reason, the CoE BBE wants to analyse possible alternatives to the design realized in 2016 within the project ‘Back to the material of the future’, financed by SIA RAAK. The idea is to design a new pedestrian bridge using sustainable biomaterials in a regular building process. Particular attention should be paid to the compatibility of the materials selected and to their durability, based on the information that can be retrieved through literature. Some other points of attentions are high strength, the low energy requirement during construction, the low maintenance requirement, and the long service life, and of course safety. This process will begin by acquiring relevant literature on various biobased materials that can potentially be used for the biobased construction of the bridge. There will be one biobased material that will be considered the ‘best’ (based on certain criteria) option which will be decided through executing a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) on the chosen materials. Following this, the design process will begin, starting with applying the decided biobased material as a structural component of the bridge. The final product will be a detailed design of a pedestrian bridge using the winning biobased material as a structural component. 1.3 Research questions The main research question of this study and the sub questions to assist in answering the main research question are shown in this chapter. 1.3.1 Main research question What is the most optimal design for a pedestrian bridge made out of biobased materials in the Netherlands based on durability, strength, cost efficiency, and additional criteria to be determined? 1.3.2 Sub research questions The main research question will be answered by the following sub questions: 1. What criteria should be used in the multi-criteria analysis? 2. What weighting should be given to each criterion and how will this be justified? 3. What bio-based materials will be considered for this research? 4. How many criteria should be used in the multi-criteria analysis? 5. What components of the bridge will be constructed with a bio-based material? 6. What other materials can be used for the non-structural components of the bridge? 1.4 Research Objectives This research focuses heavily on exploring existing biobased materials in the field of construction through secondary research, specifically for a pedestrian bridge. The world is slowly transitioning into a more circular economy, and this also involves construction materials. However, the transition is still in the early stages, and so there is a lack of research and data on biobased materials and its long-term effects. 8 The research will consider four bio-based materials. An MCA will be designed to assist in deciding which bio-based material will be the most optimal choice. Some criteria to be included have already been decided by the CoE BBE, which are durability, strength, and cost efficiency. Other criteria to be considered will be explored in this research during the design of the MCA. The bio-based materials considered in this research are as follows: 1. Flax and hemp. 2. Sisal fibre reinforced polymer. 3. Jute fibre reinforced polymer. 4. Bamboo. Following this, the selected bio-based material that is decided through the MCA will be used in the design of a pedestrian bridge as a structural component. Additionally, the design will be compared to the fully bio-based pedestrian bridge in Eindhoven from 2016. This research aims to prove which of the mentioned biobased materials in the construction of bridges is the best option to use based on an MCA. This will then show the extent of the transition to circular options for the construction of bridges.


5.2 Conclusion This research has gathered and summarized various studies and data of the four chosen biobased materials and has shown which biobased materials are the most optimal choice in the construction of bridges based on the criteria chosen and used in the MCA. This may assist in the transition to more circular options for the construction of bridges. Sisal FRP has the highest final score of 285. Therefore, based on the criteria chosen, sisal FRP was the most optimal biobased material for the construction of this pedestrian bridge over the Dommel river at TU/e campus Eindhoven. Flax and hemp, and jute FRP are also close competitors as they scored relatively close to sisal FRP, however bamboo scored significantly lower than the other materials. Whether this is either true or a lack of obtained data or execution of the MCA is something to look further into. Sisal FRP was used as the bridge’s primary structural component, with azobé wood as the bridge deck to be placed on top of this due to its suitability for the weather conditions of the area, having an exposure class of XC-4 cyclic wet and dry. The balustrade is designed and made out of oak wood as it is a strong and moisture resistant material. Therefore, there are three different biobased materials 43 included in the final design of the bridge whereby one is a plant fibre and the other two are of different types of wood.

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OrganisatieHZ University of Applied Sciences
OpleidingCiviele Techniek
AfdelingDomein Technology, Water & Environment
PartnerCentre of Expertise Biobased Economy, Middelburg
Datum2022-01-26
TypeBachelor
TaalEngels

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