Advantages of FRP in Concrete Structure

As we all know, Concrete has long been used as a building material for its high compressive strength, good durability and low cost. However, its well-known weekness is its brittleness and limited tensile strength. This was solved quite handily about a century ago by using reinforcing bars (rebar) of steel in the tension side of concrete structures. Steel rebar is functionally efficient and relatively inexpensive, so it does a good job in most cases. However, steel rebar has its own weakness: susceptibility to corrosion (oxidation) when exposed to salts, aggressive chemicals and moisture. As it corrodes, steel rebar swells and increases the tensile load on the concrete, which begins to crack and spall, creating openings that lead to further and faster deterioration of the steel and concrete. This necessitates costly repair and maintenance and, if allowed to progress far enough, it can compromise the structure’s integrity. Numerous coatings and penetrants have been  introduced over the decades to help seal out moisture from concrete, and rebar itself has been upgraded with epoxy coatings or the use of stainless steel. But it isn’t always possible to prevent corrosion in the long term. Further, steel rebar’s penchant to conduct electrical and magnetic fields makes it undesirable in concrete specified for certain power-generation, medical/scientific-imaging, nuclear and electrical/electronic applications.

There are many advantages of FRP in concrete structure. Firstly, composite rebar won’t rust or corrode, so it’s ideal for periodic or long-term immersion in fresh water or brine in applications such as retaining walls, piers, jetties, quays, caissons, decks, pilings, bulkheads, canals, offshore platforms, swimming pools and aquariums. It’s also immune to road salt and other deicing chemicals, making it a more durable and less maintenance-intensive choice for roadways and bridges, parking structures, airport runways, Jersey barriers, retaining walls and foundations, curbs, parapets, and slabs on grade. Further, it offers broad resistance to a host of other chemicals found at wastewater treatment plants, solid waste sites, petrochemical plants, pulp and paper mills, pipelines, tanks, cooling towers and chimneys, as well as the alkaline environment of concrete itself.

Another advantage is the high strength-to-weight ratio of FRP rebar.  Tensile strength of FRP rebar is typically 1.5 to 2 times higher than steel, so it’s a good counterbalance to concrete’s high compressive strength. It also provides excellent fatigue resistance, making it suitable for cyclic loading situations (such those on roads and bridges). Moreover, composite rebar is one-quarter the weight of comparably performing steel. Here there are a number of practical benefits. There is less wear and tear on construction workers who must carry and install it and less need for cranes and other heavy-lifting equipment. It is easily cut with common cutting tools, without damaging saw blades. More rebar can be hauled per truckload without exceeding legal loading limits. For bridges and like structures, the higher strength-to-weight ratio provides either greater carrying capacity for a given structure or possible opportunities to reduce the size and weight of the entire structure. Composite rebar also is useful in weight-sensitive applications where soils have poor load-bearing properties, in seismically active locations or in environmentally sensitive areas where it is undesirable to move heavy equipment.

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