Bridges are an important part of the infrastructure, but due to the increasing volume of traffic they are exposed to ever greater loads. NRW has now come up with a solution that could revolutionize the reinforcement of existing bridges. A team from Aachen University of Applied Sciences is working on an innovative bonding technology in the "KlebVerstärk" and "KleVerStaB" research projects. The goal is to significantly reduce the cost of reinforcement measures and to develop a material-friendly alternative to conventional methods.
Currently, bridges are reinforced by welding or bolting. However, these methods can weaken the steel structure and reduce its service life. This is where the Aachen-based research comes in. The special reinforcing elements, known as buckling stiffeners, are simply bonded to the steel girders – a clear advantage, as it completely eliminates the need for thermal or mechanical intervention in the steel structure. The adhesive, which was specially developed for this purpose, firmly and permanently bonds the parts without damaging the steel structure. This makes the bridge more stable without putting additional strain on it.
The adhesive bond has been tested and proven reliable under structurally relevant loads in a series of tests. This means demolitions and years of bridge closures can be avoided in the future. For this reason, this development was awarded the FH Aachen Research Prize.