Material Factor for GFRP RC Structures in Canada

Abstract:

Degradation mechanisms of GFRP bar in real concrete are still not clear to civil engineers due to limited field applications. To avoid unsafe design, in current design codes a material factor is used to assure long-term safety of GFRP RC structures. This paper presents an assessment of material factors for GFRP bar as specified in Canadian Design Codes by predicting GFRP long-term performance with monthly average temperatures from 14 weather reporting stations in Canada. Results showed that the material factor varies from 0.57 to 0.61 for an application with 100% RH exposure, while a factor of 0.75 could be adequate for cases with exposure RH ≤90%. Considering the annual relative humidity across Canada, conclusion could be made that current factors in Canadian codes could provide sufficient safety margin.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 671-674)
• Pages: 1648-1651
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.671-674.1648
• Online since: March 2013
• Authors: Jian Wei Huang
• Keywords: Durability, Glass Fiber, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), Reinforced Concrete (RC), Reinforcement

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