SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF PULTRUDED BEAM ASSEMBLIES FABRICATED USING ADHESIVE BONDING

Two beam assemblies fabricated using simple pultruded sections and adhesive bonding have been tested to determine their structural properties. The test configuration was three-point bending to simulate the most severe loading in a proposed application. Short-term stiffnesses are compared with those predicted using known section properties and linear elastic beam theory. Accelerated creep test data are used to determine long-term behaviour using Findley's linear viscoelastic theory. For the purpose of structural design, Findley's model is used to estimate the increase in maximum deflection due to a constant design loading of 1 week, 1 year and 10 years