Papers by Keyword: Fiber Reinforced Plastic/Polymer (FRP)

Abstract: In construction industries, new construction materials are needed to overcome some problems associated with the use of conventional construction materials due to the change of environmental and social requirements. Accordingly, the requirements to be satisfied in the design of civil engineering structures are diversified. As a new construction material in the civil engineering industries, fiber reinforced polymeric plastic (FRP) has a superior corrosion resistance, high specific strength/stiffness, etc. Therefore, such properties can be used to mitigate the problems associated with the use of conventional construction materials. Nowadays, new types of bridge piers and marine piles are being studied for new construction. They are made of concrete filled fiber reinforced polymeric plastic tubes (CFFT). In this paper, a new type of FRP-concrete composite pile which is composed of reinforced concrete filled FRP tube (RCFFT) is proposed to improve compressive strength as well as flexural strength of an RCFFT. The load carrying capacity of proposed RCFFT is discussed based on the result of experimental and analytical investigations.

Abstract: External bonding of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has become a common way for strengthening concrete members. The performance of the interface between FRP and concrete is one of the key factors affecting the behaviour of the strengthened structure. For this FRP-concrete structure, there are two types of debonding failures: plate end debonding and intermediate crack (IC) induced debonding. This paper presents an analytical solution for the second type debonding failures in FRP-concrete bonded joint model where the FRP plate is subject to tension at both ends. Both the strengthened beam and strengthening FRP are modeled as two linearly elastic Euler–Bernoulli beams bonded together through a thin adhesive layer. The debonding process of the FRP–concrete interface is discussed in detail, and closed-form solutions of bond slip, interface shear stress, and axial force of FRP in different stages are obtained. Parametric studies are further carried out to investigate the effect of the thickness of adhesive layer on the bond behavior of FRP–concrete interface.

Abstract: Based on earlier theoretical works on RC beams ,the mechanical properties of steel reinforced concrete beams strengthened with FRP(fiber reinforce polymer) are further investigated theoretically including theirs failure mechanism and loadability. According to the design method of reinforced concrete beam strengthened with FRP, steel reinforced concrete beam strengthened with FRP mainly can have three kinds of destruction patterns: the first case is the tensile steel yield, the tensile shaped steel yield, the FRP are put off, the compressive zone’s concrete has not crushed; the second case is the tensile steel yield, the tensile shaped steel yield, the FRP are put off; the compressive zone’s concrete has crushed; the last case is the tensile steel yield, the tensile shaped steel yield, the FRP are not put off, the compressive zone’s concrete has crushed. The second case is discussed in this paper.Based on the different position of middle axle and steel, steel concrete beams strengthened with FRP include: middle axle through the steel web, and not through the steel and just in steel compression flange . Aim at these three kind of situations, the stress are analysed. According to the stress patterns of steel reinforced concrete beams strengthened with FRP and different position between neutral axis and steel, the discriminant formula of the boundary destroys and the formula of cross-section flexural capacity calculation are put forward by using limit equilibrium theory.The formula is expressed clearly, simple and easy to use.The depth of compressive region is given in view of different failure types.

Abstract: Wood is one kind of renewable natural eco-material. Glued laminated timber (glulam) is an engineered wood product made from sawn lumber lamina glued together in horizontal layers. The application of glulam in the construction structure not only has great environmental value, but also reduces energy consumption and carbon emission of the construction. In this study, we evaluated the effects of different factors on the structural properties of glulam and designed several enhancement modes to reinforce the glulam with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic). Then, we measured the mechanical properties of the glulam specimens in the different enhancement modes and selected the optimal reinforcement mode. The reinforcement method obviously increased the value of MOE and MOR of poplar glulam by 5%-15% and 5%-12% respectively. FRP length of 600mm was the optimal and most economic reinforcement length, and finger joint position of 300mm is the optimal position.

Abstract: The improvement of the load carrying capacity of concrete columns under a triaxial compressive stress results from the strain restriction. Under a triaxial stress state, the capacity of the deformation of concrete is greatly decreased with the increase of the side compression. Therefore, confining the deformation in the lateral orientation is an effective way to improve the strength and ductility of concrete columns. This paper carried out an experimental investigation on axially loaded normal strength concrete columns confined by 10 different types of materials, including steel tube, glass fiber confined steel tube (GFRP), PVC tube, carbon fiber confined PVC tube (CFRP), glass fiber confined PVC tube (GFRP), CFRP, GFRP, polyethylene (PE), PE hybrid CFRP and PE hybrid GFRP. The deformation, macroscopical deformation characters, failure mechanism and failure modes are studied in this paper. The ultimate bearing capacity of these 10 types of confined concrete columns and the influences of the confining materials on the ultimate bearing capacity are obtained. The advantages and disadvantages of these 10 types of confining methods are compared.

Abstract: The composite accompanied with a function of thermoelectric conversion has been fabricated. It was a fiber metal laminate (FML) consisting of two aluminum alloy sheets of 0.5mm thickness and a central layer of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). The central layer with a thickness of 1mm included thermoelectric elements of Bi-Te based alloys between glass fibers. The mechanical properties of FML with and without the thermoelectric elements were evaluated by tensile and bending test. The thermomechanical properties were measured by a potentiometer for a module with heated and cooled sides, and plotted a potential as a function of difference in temperature between both sides.

Abstract: A method for measuring the stress and strain distribution in the composite materials and residual stress at the interface in the fiber reinforced composite has been developed. The strains are measured using an electron Moiré method and then the stresses are calculated from these strains. A very fine model grid with frequencies up to 10,000lines/mm can be fabricated using the optical and electron lithography techniques on the surface of the specimen and an electron beam scan which spaces are almost same as that of model grid the can be used for master-grid. The difference of the amount of secondary electrons per a primary electron makes Moiré fringes that consists bright and dark parts. Micro-creep deformation and residual strain and stress near the fibers of composite materials were measured by this method.

Abstract: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets have been extensively used for strengthening deteriorated concrete structures. The effectiveness of such strengthening depends upon the load transfer from concrete to the FRP composite. Shear debonding is usually caused by a crack that forms and then propagates at the interface between the adherents. The influence of the geometric parameters of the adherents on the fracture propagation is still a subject of research. This paper presents an experimental investigation performed on direct shear specimens to study the influence of the relative width of FRP and concrete on the load carrying capacity of the bond and the stress transfer between the adherents.

Abstract: X-ray stress measurement with sin2ψ method is one of useful tools to detect residual stresses in manufactured products. In this study, the residual stresses in the tungsten fiber reinforced polyethylene composite were examined by X-ray stress measurement technique. The transmission diffraction method was employed in residual stress measurement of polyethylene matrix. The X-ray elastic constant of high density polyethylene (HDPE) which formed matrix of the composite was estimated before residual stress measurement. The results of sin2ψ diagram with transmission method show good linearity under the several tensile loading. After that the residual stresses in the composite were investigated for HDPE matrix phase. From the measurement results, the tensile residual stresses existed in fiber longitudinal direction and compressive ones in transverse direction for HDPE matrix.

Abstract: The innovative method based on prefabricated fiber laminate composites bonded to lightweight precast panel was applied for quality control of RC strengthening members. The experimental investigations for this method were presented for flexural member. Three different groups such as control group without strengthening, conventional fiber bonding group and innovated PFLC group bonded to precast panel. Tested results showed good or better capacities comparing to conventional strengthening method for flexural members. This investigation indicate that good enhancement with respect to quality control and reliability can be possible by the installation and epoxy injection with prefabricated panel using fiber laminate composites.