JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #87 - March 2014 Special JEC Europe - 46

The Netherlands: country guest of honor

interview
Ane de Boer,
Senior Advisor

JEC Composites Magazine: What
attracts you to composite materials,
and what do you expect from them
with respect to traditional materials?

Ane de Boer : Their high strength,
their low density related to steel and
concrete, and their minimum maintenance costs, which results in high
availability for infrastructure users,
are the most important aspects.
JCM: Could these materials play a special role in the Netherlands, or do you
feel that they already do so?

A. B. : Composite materials are

already playing an important role in
road infrastructure, with more than
2000 structures already in operation
at the town and county levels. Most
of the structures are pedestrian and
cycle bridges. A movable bridge deck
is currently being built as well as a
hybrid bridge crossing the highway.
But a number of small sluice doors are
also in operation in waterway infrastructure. Edge parts for viaducts or
fly-overs are popular because of their
low weight and short installation time.
In 2015, the world's biggest lock gates

An artist impression of the new sluice Wilhelminakanaal in Tilburg

built in fibre reinforced polymers
(FRP) will be located in Tilburg, the
Netherlands. The gates (13 meters tall
by 6 meters wide) will be installed in
the Wilhelminakanaal and are part of
a major project to widen the canal in
order to allow bigger ships to use it.
JCM: Do you finance any research or
application-oriented projects in the
infrastructure sector?

A. B. : There are some small research

projects financed in this area, but they
are related to concrete and steel mate-

About Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment, and responsible for the country's safety and main infrastructure.
Rijkswaterstaat is the most important client for infrastructure constructions in the
Netherlands. With a major part of the country located below sea level, the government body is highly experienced in risk assessment. Fibre reinforced polymer in
infrastructure are strongly supported by Rijkswaterstaat. The Netherlands has a
major position in FRP applications worldwide, with the largest FRP lock doors and
the largest Eurocode hybrid steel/FRP bridge in the world. Rijkswaterstaat has just
introduced their new website: Why fibre reinforced polymer? The ins and outs of a
promising construction material.

46 jec composites magazine / No87 March 2014

rials. At the moment, the largest project focuses on setting up a Eurocodelike recommendation, which could be
the basic document for CEN in the
future. A side research project can be
mentioned that compares the environmental impact of using different
materials for the same infrastructural
design.
JCM: Can you imagine composites
playing a special role in your field in
the future?

A. B. : The Dutch Ministry of Infras-

tructure and Environment would like
to have a Eurocode-like recommendation for composite materials also,
to get a clear comparison between
the design of different construction
materials not only in terms of strength
but also in terms of environmental
impact. n
More information:
http://rijkswaterstaat.nl/rws/e-zine/
fibrereinforcedpolymer/index.php

http://rijkswaterstaat.nl/rws/e-zine/fibrereinforcedpolymer/index.php

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #87 - March 2014 Special JEC Europe

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