PSI - Issue 64

Maciej Kulpa et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 1673–1680 Kulpa / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

1676

4

2.2. Manufacturing technology and site installation The footbridge panels (entire spans) were manufactured in the FiberCore Europe B.V. workshop in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, using the VARTM method. All spans were produced using a special mould in which the glass fibres were placed in the exact order required to produce the laminates with the correct thicknesses and strengths. The primary function of the 820 mm core foam elements, which were sandwiched between the fabrics, was to create and shape the volume of the panels. After placing all of the materials in the mould, it was sealed, and then the infusion process began, which involved saturating the content with liquid polyester resin using a vacuum. After complete hardening of the resin, the panel was pulled out of the mould and transferred to a station to finish and protect the outer surface of the laminates. Finally, a chemically hardened walking surface was also cast in the factory. After manufacturing, all five spans of the footbridge were transported from the Rotterdam factory (the Netherlands) to Rzeszów (Poland). The total weight of a single span of 24 m is approximately 10 tons, which made it possible to transport two spans simultaneously on one truck (Fig. 4a). After delivery, the spans were installed directly on steel cantilevers previously mounted to existing supports. The stabilisation of the spans in their plane (horizontally) was ensured by steel pins located on steel support cantilevers. After assembly, they entered prefabricated holes created in the lower laminates of the spans. Some of the sockets were made "fixed", blocking the structure's ability to move, while others were made with appropriate "clearances", ensuring the free elongation of the spans as a result of temperature changes. The assembly of a single span took approximately 30 minutes (Fig. 4b). After installing the balustrades and filling the expansion joints between the spans, the footbridge was ready (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4. Installation of the footbridge spans on-site: transport of the span (on the left) and assembly of the span using cranes (on the right)

Fig. 5. The Carpathian Bridge after widening: side view (on the left) and top view (on the right)