The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has invested in CompositeAdvantage's fiber-reinforced polymer fiber PILE system for its Jamestown-Scotland terminal facility. The agency noted that FRP is more cost-effective due to longer service life, fewer service interruptions, and safer operations. In 2018, VDOT replaced 296 wooden stakes with eight large-diameter FRP, equivalent to one-third of the life cycle cost of wood.
The state's only free ferry operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, including all important holidays. It's a movable bridge that needs to cross the James River on Highway 31 in Virginia. Fiber PILE products are manufactured to a high strength-to-weight ratio, capable of handling overall ferry crushing loads and adverse wind conditions.
"We made 100-foot-long fiberglass reinforced plastic single posts and multi-axis E-glass reinforcements," explained Composite Advantage Chairman Scott Reeve. "59% of the glass fibers used in the lower 80% of the piles are oriented at 0 degrees (parallel to the longitudinal axis of the piles). 8% of the glass fibers are oriented at 90 degrees and the remaining fibers are oriented at ± 45 degrees. The fiberglass used for the top 15 feet of the pile [concentrated in the hoop direction] was made in 8% of 0 degrees [parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pile], 59% of the fibers were made in 90 degrees, and the rest The fibers are made in a direction of ± 45 degrees. Wood has 42 feet of energy absorption. This combination makes our monomers absorb energy at 585 feet-kip energy. "
The hollow structure, light weight and low driving friction also make fiber PILE attractive to contractors. After a day of installation, the contractor was able to drive a 100-foot kayak into the bottom of the river in 20 minutes with minimal interference. 8 FRP single stakes replaced 37 wooden stakes