A novel sandwich composite footbridge is presented in the paper, as an example of practical application of laminated composites in civil engineering. The in situ static load tests of the footbridge before its acceptation for exploitation are shown and discussed. The results are compared with the corresponding ones from a numerical equivalent single layer model of the sandwich structure created within the framework of finite element...

Within the framework of a 6-parameter nonlinear shell theory, with strain measures of Cosserat type, constitutive relations are proposed for thin elastic composite shells. The material law is expressed in terms of five engineering constants of classical anisotropic continuum plus an additional parameter accounting for drilling stiffness. The theory allows for unlimited displacements and rotations. A number of examples are presented...

A modern sandwich composite footbridge made of high-tech materials, being an example of practical application of laminated composites in civil engineering, is presented. The in situ non-destructive testing of the footbridge, aiming to identify modal properties and pedestrian comfort, is described. The measured eigenmodes and eigenfrequencies are compared with numerically estimated values. Finite element analyses of the footbridge...