Practical approaches for evaluating bending and torsion of fiber-reinforced polymer components using instrumented testing

This paper discusses instrumented testing of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials for constructinglightweight bridge decks. Torsion and bending tests are performed on multi-cellular components to evaluate the torsional constant (polar moment of inertiaof the section), influence of simultaneous loadingson elastic properties, and the effect of shear forces on the total deflection. A practical approach is taken in the absence of extensive theoretical computations.The methods employed performed well and are a combination of instrumented testing and fundamental mechanics principles.