Four different wear surfaces were tested on the ZellComp Decking System at the Florida Department of Transportation lab in Tallahassee. All functioned well. There were no visible cracks following the fatigue testing.
 
Extensive testing with wear surfaces
 
ZellComp Decking System – Superior Strength proven through Independent Testing

The ZellComp® Decking System has undergone unparalleled independent testing over the past few years – with extremely positive test results.

The ZellComp Decking System has been tested at over 8 million cycles of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) loading and has been subjected to seven “strength to failure loadings” at four major labs (three university labs and one state DOT lab) over the past two years. The test results, as summarized below, have been extremely positive and reflect the superior strength of the system.  Extensive testing has been performed on three sizes – the 5, 7, and 9-inch systems. The 5 and 7 inch systems are in commercial production and the 9-inch system (and other sizes) will soon be available.
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5-inch Deck

The 5-inch ZellComp deck was tested by the Florida DOT lab in Tallahassee, Florida during 2006. The test set up, designed by the Florida DOT and the University of Central Florida, follows the same structural set up as the bridge deck structure (currently an open steel grid requiring significant maintenance) that will be replaced.
The beams were spaced at 4 feet (on center) for a 2 span test.
The test was done for fatigue and static loading conditions.
The fatigue was performed with dual loading to simulate the largest truck loads possible on the bridge.
The load pads were spaced at 4 feet apart and loaded to 18 kips (one kip equals 1000 pounds of force) per pad (or 36 kips total) for 2 million cycles.
After the fatigue loading, the deck was loaded in a static test up to 90 kips on one load pad in one span before failure.

Florida DOT Lab, 2006 – Test of ZellComp® 5-inch Decking System
This fatigue loading test was repeated at the Florida DOT lab with different boundary conditions for another 2 million cycles, and no failure occurred in the composite deck or the wear surface material until the loads exceeded the truck requirements for greater than a factor of safety of at least 3 in all tests. These are extremely favorable test results, and the ZellComp Decking System has been approved by the Florida DOT for installation. The 5-inch deck was also successfully tested at Virginia Tech during 2006 in advance of the Tangier Island installation. (See Highway Bridge Deck Installations.)
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7-inch Deck

The ZellComp patented deck design can be made in a variety of depths. In advance of an upcoming installation in Indiana, the 7-inch ZellComp deck was tested in a static test at Purdue University in June 2007.
This test was again set up to duplicate the bridge structure that will be replaced.
The bridge required a 2% slope in the middle of the bridge, i.e. a crown.
As shown in the picture, the test at Purdue was set up with the 2% crown and the support beams spaced at 6’ 3” on center.
The static test was set up with a dual loading pad system, but for this test the load pads were spaced at 6 feet, which is the standard for a single truck on a bridge.
The ZellComp deck was tested to 150 kips (75 kips per load pad), and there was no failure in the composite deck system or the crown designed in the deck.


Purdue University, Summer 2007 – ZellComp® 7-inch Decking System

Again, these were extremely positive test results, and the deck has been approved for installation in the state of Indiana.
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9-inch Deck
Manufactured prototypes of the 9-inch ZellComp Deck have been tested extensively.
The effective width of the 9 inch test specimens was 18 inches and 2 webs.
The test shown in the picture took place at North Carolina State University and was done in static loading (one load pad) in 3-Point Bending.
The test specimen was supported at 8 feet clear spacing and failed at 100 kips.


North Carolina State University, 2005 – ZellComp® 9-inch Decking System

Additional testing of the ZellComp system is underway at a fifth major lab, with testing scheduled to be completed later this fall.

Given the extensive independent testing of the ZellComp system and the outstanding results achieved, many transportation officials in other states are now relying on these results without requiring extensive fatigue and static tests to be repeated. ZellComp will work with state DOTs, contractors, and engineering firms to determine if specialized features of a particular project should be tested prior to installation.

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Need for Industry Testing Standards

Most other composite bridge decks have not been as extensively tested by independent laboratories as the ZellComp system – and for tests that have been performed, details of the tests are often not made public. ZellComp is working with others in the composites industry to encourage uniformity in FRP bridge deck design and testing specifications to accelerate acceptance of high quality FRP bridge decks by the engineering community.

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ZellComp’s goal is for all high quality composite decks to be viewed favorably by the highway infrastructure, engineering, and construction communities and for the ZellComp deck to be recognized as the leading innovative structural composite product for a variety of infrastructure applications.

 
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