ARGOS FRP were tasked with replacing the existing timber jetty deck at Cape Cuvier with a sustainable composite deck to be installed between the existing steel support beams. McDowall Affleck were appointed to provide the design work for the fibre reinforcement polymer planks and liaise with the University of Western Australia to conduct testing.
The initial testing arrangement was slightly conservative, and the test results were lower to those expected from the Finite Element Analysis. We modified the test arrangement to better reflect the expected load conditions on the jetty.
As a condition for its appointment, McDowall Affleck, requested to visit the manufacturing facilities in Malaysia to assess the Quality Management System of the pultrusion process, and that an extensive lab testing campaign be undertaken to support theoretical calculations. McDowall Affleck planned and supervised the full scale testing campaign undertaken at the University of WA. The accurate reproduction of the actual loading conditions allowed to avoid a conservative design and validate a cost-effective cross section for the standard plank.
