Experimental and Numerical Investigation of an OSB and Concrete Composite Footbridge Deck Panel under Concentrated Load

OSB (oriented strand board) is a commonly used engineered timber product which is characterised by its high strength, lightweight and relatively low cost. It is made of timber strands or shavings which are the byproduct of timber sawmill processing, the strands are combed to follow specific orientations and glued together in layers to form sheets. OSB is often used as wall or floor elements in building applications, however, with appropriate treatment, OSB could form an economic and sustainable deck component in footbridges, especially when combined with concrete toppings. In this research, an OSB panel acting compositely with a thin concrete topping and subject to concentrated load is tested experimentally. The experiment is then simulated using a non-linear finite element model as a means of validation. The validated modelling approach is subsequently used to investigate the influence of varying concrete topping thickness with a view to performance optimisation. The results demonstrate the capability and potential of composite OSB-concrete panels in bridge deck applications.