The experimental and the theoretical analysis of the serviceability behavior of a deployable footbridge

This study presents a new concept of a deployable footbridge. The structural solution of the proposed footbridge comprises two parallel deployable beams as main girders and wooden boards which constitute the deck. The two beams were composed by several softwood blocks bonded to a unidirectional carbon fiber sheets layers by using an epoxy resin. In the first part of this study; we present the principle of the developed deployable footbridge. Thereafter, small-scale section prototype of the footbridge was tested under a vertical static nondestructive load on the Serviceability Limit State. The purpose of the tests is mainly to evaluate the vertical displacement responses under the static load, in every location of the prototype deck. The second purpose of these tests is to verify the deployment of the footbridge. Finally, a theoretical model based on the classical beam theory and on the theoretical structural behavior of the deployable beams was developed. The model presents the theoretical relationship between the load and the vertical displacement, under static loads, in every point of the footbridge. The predicted and the experimental results show a good agreement.