Flexural properties of lightweight FRP composite truss structures

This article deals with the flexural behavior of a lightweight, long-span, and triangular cross-section fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite truss. Three-point bending tests are conducted for a 6 m long, triangular cross-section, glass fiber/epoxy composite truss and characteristic structural responses identified. Numerical analysis has been performed, validated by the experimental results. Stiffness to weight ratio of this truss structure made by different materials has been compared by numerical analysis under the same geometry dimension constraints. A parametric study has been employed to determine the effects of different geometric parameters on the flexural performance of this lightweight FRP composite truss. The composite truss is of bilinear behavior under three-point bending. The linear load capacity and flexural stiffness of this composite truss structures are identified. A relationship between the individual geometric parameters and the flexural properties has been obtained.