Fiberline Building Profiles A/S
Length: 5,5 x 2,5 m Railing height: 1,3 m Profiles: Fiberline HD planks Load capacity : 5 kN/m2 + 5 kN point load Location: Schwepnitz, Saxony, Germany
For the German municipality of Schwepnitz, north of Dresden, it was the prospect of minimal maintenance and low operating costs which determined the choice of GFRP composite for a new footbridge. The footbridge is 5.5 m long and spans a local river and both deck and substructure are made of fibreglass. Manufacture is based on the Fiberline Beam Bridge concept.
Maintenance of bridges exposed to demanding weather conditions in the form of rain, snow etc. is often expensive and time-consuming. In this case the bridge is a footbridge situated along the B97, one of the main highways into the city of Dresden, and it is therefore also exposed to large amounts of road salt during the winter. However, as GFRP is both weatherproof and corrosion-resistant, the new bridge in Schwepnitz will have a long service life with only minimal maintenance.
Christian Scholze, Technical Solution Manager at Fiberline:
”As the entire structure is made of GFRP composite, which neither crumbles, rots or corrodes, maintenance will usually only be of a cosmetic nature. This will mean both a long-life bridge and lower operating costs for the local authority.”
Between the footbridge and the road a GFRP grating has also been installed to facilitate easy drainage of surface rainwater.
Safety is all important when it comes to building public bridges, and proof of quality was therefore a key demand on the part of both customer – the local authority - and contractor.
Christian Scholze:
"As manufacturers we are unique in the world in offering an abZ-certified programme of structural profiles made of pultruded GFRP composite. This means our customers are free from having to obtain individual approvals for their constructions. At Fiberline, documented high quality is built into the product, which saves our customers considerable time and trouble."
The Schwepnitz footbridge is a Fiberline Beam Bridge, an innovative conceptual solution in which all components are supplied in a single package. Our local German partner Schmees & Lühn chose to assemble the prefabricated components in their factory, after which the finished construction was conveyed to the erection site. This solution enabled the final site installation time to be reduced, which was a major benefit particularly for users of the adjacent busy road bridge. With its light weight the footbridge was quickly lifted into position, and the final machining was also performed on site. In just a few hours, the installation of the new footbridge was completed.
The design of the bridge has also been matched to the existing surroundings: Handrail, rafters and deck are in simple grey, forming a contrast to the rough, natural stone of the existing bridge construction.
