Simulation-based determination of optimal life-cycle cost for FRP bridge deck panels

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are increasingly being used in civil infrastructure applications. FRP composites, however, are still relatively unknown to the practicing civil engineer and infrastructure systems planner. There are several unresolved issues to be considered in order to increase their application in construction of infrastructure. Recently, life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) has been shown to identify how cost-effective FRP composites are compared with conventional materials [Hastak, Makarand and Daniel W. Halpin (2000). Assessment of life-cycle benefit–cost of composites in construction. Journal of Composites for Construction, ASCE, 4 (3) 103–111]. Although many models for estimation of life-cycle cost in FRP composites have been proposed, it remains difficult to predict the end of service life for new advanced materials. It is, therefore, important to assess the life-cycle costs of replacing conventional construction materials with advanced composites. This paper introduces an analytical model to determine optimal life-cycle cost under different discount factors (i.e., interest rates) and inflation rates. It presents a method to estimate the service life for FRP bridge deck panels. Monte Carlo simulation is used to account for uncertainty in those two parameters.