Structural Wood Plastic Composites Deployed in Missoula, MT Bridge
A structural wood plastic composite (WPC) developed with funding by the Office of Naval Research (under the direction of Ignacio Perez) was recently deployed in a pedestrian bridge accessing the Rattlesnake Wilderness and National Recreation Area in Missoula, MT. The bridge, designed by Brad Miller from HDR One, features innovative uses of small-diameter timber and a 4×12-inch structural WPC section designed for use on marine structures where chemical wood preservatives were not desired. The material and structural section was designed by a research team led by the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University. The team included researchers from Strandex Corp., McFarland Cascade Corp., Pennsylvania State University, and the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center.