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Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 10467

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xingxing Zou

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of FRP structures; repairing concrete structures using FRP materials; pultruded FRP structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lili Hu

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Guest Editor

School of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: innovative FRP-metal composite structures; high-performance structures for offshore engineering; smart materials and constructions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zhiqiang Dong

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Interests: durability of FRP materials; FRP-reinforced seawater and sea sand concrete (SWSSC) structures; self-prestressing technology based on the iron-based shape memory alloy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) material, known for its high strength, light weight, and excellent durability under harsh conditions or in coastal environments, has been widely used as a popular material in the strengthening, repairing, and retrofitting of existing structures. Additionally, the combination of FRP and traditional construction materials has been increasingly employed in the construction of buildings and bridges. Recently, new fibers (such as flax or basalt fibers) and new matrixes (such as cementitious or geo-polymer matrixes) have shown great potential in lieu of traditional FRP composites in many engineering scenarios. These emerging research fields have attracted extensive interest from the research community. For the safe and effective application of FRP composites in civil engineering, plausible approaches to aid in estimating the performances of such structures need to be developed.

This Special Issue (SI) aims to present recent advances and emerging cross-disciplinary approaches in FRP composites by collecting predominantly integrated studies pertaining to the performances of FRP composite structures. Studies from experimental testing, analytical approaches, numerical simulation, and emerging algorithms of the performances of strengthening existing structures and new-built structures are welcome.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for possible publication in this SI. Technical articles and review papers are expected to reflect original research and technological advances on topics that include, but are not strictly limited to, the following fields:

FRP-strengthened concrete, steel, wood/bamboo, and 3D printing structures;
Fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM);
Thin-walled FRP composites for building and bridge applications;
Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of composite-related structures;
FRP in combination with non-traditional cementitious materials;
Emerging algorithms and analytical approaches in composite structures.

Dr. Xingxing Zou
Dr. Lili Hu
Dr. Zhiqiang Dong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 10544 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation on Post-Fire Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Rebars

by Chanachai Thongchom, Lili Hu, Penpichcha Khongpermgoson Sanit-in, Denise-Penelope N. Kontoni, Nitipong Praphaphankul, Koravith Tiprak and Suphanut Kongwat

Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2925; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132925 - 01 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1090

Abstract

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars are commonly used as an alternative to conventional steel reinforcement in a variety of structural applications due to their superior low cost, strength-to-weight ratio, and durability. However, their mechanical properties after exposure to elevated temperatures, particularly in fire-prone environments, remain a significant concern. To address this concern, the present study focuses on investigating the residual tensile behavior, specifically the tensile strength and elastic modulus, of GFRP rebars exposed to high temperatures that are realistically encountered during fire incidents. The temperature range considered in this analysis spans from 100 °C to 400 °C, with a heating rate of 20 °C/min. The fire duration of 1 h is used. This comprehensive analysis is essential for enhancing our understanding of the performance and applicability of GFRP rebars in fire-prone environments. Based on their actual application in the construction industry, five specimens of three different rebar sizes (16, 20, and 25 mm) were examined for the effect of rebar size on tensile behavior after fire exposure. In addition, the effects were investigated of air- and water-cooling methods on residual tensile behavior. The nominal tensile strength, elastic modulus, and ultimate strain of GFRP rebars at ambient temperature are 930 MPa, 50.2 GPa and 1.85%, respectively. The test results indicated that as the temperature increased to 400 °C, the ultimate tensile strength of the GFRP bars decreased by up to 55%, while the ultimate strain increased by up to 44%, regardless of the cooling method. In addition, when rebars of sizes 16–25 mm were subjected to a 400 °C fire treatment, the smaller the rebar, the greater the percentage of ultimate tensile and strain reduction. These findings hold great significance for the utilization of GFRP bars within the construction industry. This study offers valuable insights into the design of fire-resilient structures, emphasizing the importance of considering rebar size and cooling methods due to their impact on the post-fire tensile strength and strain of GFRP rebars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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21 pages, 5810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Hysteretic Behavior of FRP-Confined Concrete Core-Encased Rebar

by Jingzhou Lu, Tong Mou, Chen Wang, Han Huang and Wenyu Han

Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2728; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122728 - 18 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 984

Abstract

FRP-confined concrete core-encased rebar (FCCC-R) is a novel composite structure that has recently been proposed to effectively delay the buckling of ordinary rebar and enhance its mechanical properties by utilizing high-strength mortar or concrete and an FRP strip to confine the core. The purpose of this study was to study the hysteretic behavior of FCCC-R specimens under cyclic loading. Different cyclic loading systems were applied to the specimens and the resulting test data were analyzed and compared, in addition to revealing the mechanism of elongation and mechanical properties of the specimens under the different loading systems. Furthermore, finite-element simulation was performed for different FCCC-Rs using the ABAQUS software. The finite-element model was also used for the expansion parameter studies to analyze the effects of different influencing factors, including the different winding layers, winding angles of the GFRP strips, and the rebar-position eccentricity, on the hysteretic properties of FCCC-R. The test result indicates that FCCC-R exhibits superior hysteretic properties in terms of maximum compressive bearing capacity, maximum strain value, fracture stress, and envelope area of the hysteresis loop when compared to ordinary rebar. The hysteretic performance of FCCC-R increases as the slenderness ratio is increased from 10.9 to 24.5 and the constraint diameter is increased from 30 mm to 50 mm, respectively. Under the two cyclic loading systems, the elongation of the FCCC-R specimens is greater than that of ordinary rebar specimens with the same slenderness ratio. For different slenderness ratios, the range of maximum elongation improvement is about 10% to 25%, though there is still a large discrepancy compared to the elongation of ordinary rebar under monotonic tension. Despite the maximum compressive bearing capacity of FCCC-R is improved under cyclic loading, the internal rebars are more prone to buckling. The results of the finite-element simulation are in good agreement with the experimental results. According to the study of expansion parameters, it is found that the hysteretic properties of FCCC-R increase as the number of winding layers (one, three, and five layers) and winding angles (30°, 45°, and 60°) in the GFRP strips increase, while they decrease as the rebar-position eccentricity (0.15, 0.22, and 0.30) increases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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16 pages, 5763 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Axial Compression Behaviour of FRP-Confined Concrete-Core-Encased Rebar

by Jingzhou Lu, Han Huang, Yunkai Li and Tong Mou

Polymers 2023, 15(4), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040828 - 07 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1395

Abstract

The axial compression behaviour of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP)-confined concrete-core-encased rebar (FCCC-R) was investigated by performing monotonic axial compression tests on seven groups of FCCC-R specimens and three groups of pure rebar specimens. The research parameters considered were the FRP winding angle (0°, ±45°, and 90°), number of layers (2, 4, and 6 layers), and slenderness ratio of specimens (15.45, 20, and 22.73). The test results showed that FCCC-R’s axial compression behaviour improved significantly compared with pure rebar. The axial load–displacement curves of the FCCC-R specimens had a second ascending branch, and their carrying capacity and ductility were enhanced substantially. The best buckling behaviour was observed for the FRP winding angle of 90°. The capacity and ductility of the specimens were positively related to the number of FRP-wrapped layers and inversely related to the slenderness ratio of the specimens. A finite element model of FCCC-R was constructed and agreed well with the test results. The finite element model was used for parametric analysis to reveal the effect of the area ratio, FRP confinement length, internal bar eccentricity, and mortar strength on the axial compression behaviour of FCCC-R. The numerical results showed that the area ratio had the most significant impact on the axial compression behaviour of FCCC-R. The confinement length of the FRP pipe and internal bar eccentricity had similar effects on the axial compression behaviour of FCCC-R. Both of them had a significant impact on the second ascending branch, with the post-peak behaviour exhibiting minimal differences. The influence of mortar strength on the axial compression behaviour of FCCC-R was observed to be minimal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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21 pages, 10267 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Joints for a Pultruded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Truss

by Yiwei Chen, Maojun Duan, Xingxing Zou, Yu Feng and Guofen Li

Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4810; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224810 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1454

Abstract

Bolted connections usually govern the structural rigidity and load-carrying capacity of pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) truss structures. In this study, a novel bolted integrated gusset plate (IGP) connection is proposed to enhance the stiffness and capacity of GFRP truss structures. Nine double-lap shear tests of GFRP joints and numerical simulation were conducted to investigate the influence of variable design parameters of the bolted GFRP joints (number of bolts, width and thickness of GFRP, edge distance of bolts, and the employment of adhesive). Three full-scale GFRP truss joints were tested under static loading to study the response of a typical bolted connection, a bolted gusset plate connection, and the proposed IGP connection. The nine double-lap shear tests showed that the bolted–bonded mixed connection has 50% higher shear stiffness and 27% higher ductility compared with bolted joints, and bearing failure dominated the capacity of most specimens, which agreed well with numerical simulation results. Tests on the three full-scale GFRP truss joints showed that the bolted gusset plate can substantially reduce the number of cracks and improve the initial stiffness, but the maximum bearing capacity of the joints did not increase because the shear fracture of pultruded GFRP webs governs the capacity. The proposed IGP substantially increased the stiffness and capacity compared with the bolted connection and typical bolted gusset plate connection. The full-scale GFRP joint test is suggested to be used together with direct shear tests to study the performance of joints of the GFRP truss. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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15 pages, 12219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Bending Creep Performance of GFRP-Reinforced PVC-Based Wood-Plastic Composite Panels

by Bangbang Dai, Ruili Huo, Kun Wang, Zhengqing Ma and Hai Fang

Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4789; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224789 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1399

Abstract

Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are environment-friendly materials, which have broad application prospects in structures. They cannot be used for bearing structures because of poor mechanical performance and creep deformation. In order to enhance the mechanical behavior and decrease the long-term creep deformation, glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) sheets and rebar reinforcement design methods are proposed. The bending static tests and creep performance tests of WPCs were conducted. The results showed that GFRP sheets and rebars improved the ultimate flexural loading capacity and deformation capacity by 257% and 165%, respectively, decreased the creep deflection effectively, and avoided shear failure. When the load level was very low, the creep deformation of WPC panels unreinforced, or reinforcement developed stably with time, and the damage did not occur within 1100 h. When the load increased to 80% of the ultimate load level, all specimens were damaged in the compression zone, the creep deformation increased quickly and unstably, bending shear failure of the unreinforced specimen occurred after 7 h, shear failure of the GFRP-sheets-reinforced specimen occurred after 1100 h, and the rebar-reinforced specimen failed after 720 h with excessive deflection deformation in the span. The reinforced effect of GFRP sheets is better. The creep strain growth rate of all specimens increased quickly at the first stage and gradually decreased at the second stage and tended to be stable. The creep calculation model was built based on the four-element model, which is simple and efficient and can make scientific and reasonable predictions of the two phases of structural transient creep and deceleration creep. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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15 pages, 2520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Self-Repairing System for Brittle Matrix Composites Using Corrosion-Induced Intelligent Fiber

by Yuyan Sun, Dongkai Wang, Zuquan Jin, Jianwei Sun and Ziguo Wang

Polymers 2022, 14(18), 3902; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14183902 - 18 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1531

Abstract

Brittle matrix composites such as concrete are susceptible to damage in the form of cracks. Most of the current self-repair and self-healing techniques have repair limits on crack widths or high costs of an external stimulator, or have an unfavorable effect on the composite’s strength. This paper proposes a new concept of corrosion-induced intelligent fiber (CIF) and a new self-repairing system that uses the CIFs to close cracks in brittle matrix composites within a corrosive environment without external help, and without compromising the strength. The CIF comprises an inner core fiber and an outer corrodible coating that are in equilibrium, with the core fiber in tension and the corrodible coating in compression. The preparation steps and shape recovery mechanism of the CIF and the self-repair mechanism of the CIF composites are explained. Based on these concepts, this paper also describes several mechanical models built to predict the magnitude of pre-stress stored in the core fiber, and the maximum pre-stress released to the matrix composites, and the minimum length of the reliable anchor ends of CIF. The sample calculation results show that the recovery strain was 0.5% for the CIF with the steel core fiber and 12.7% for the CIF with the nylon core fiber; the maximum crack closing force provided by the CIF to concrete can be increased by increasing the amount of the CIFs in concrete and the initial tensile stress of the core fiber. This paper provides some suggestions for enhancing the self-repair capability of brittle composites in complex working environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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Review

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17 pages, 4637 KiB

Open AccessReview

Durability of CFRP–Steel Double–Lap Joints under Cyclic Freeze–Thaw/Wet–Dry Conditions

by Xiang Ren, Lingzhi Jiang, Jun He, Yi Yang, Yamin Sun, Qunfeng Liu and Shaojie Chen

Polymers 2022, 14(17), 3445; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14173445 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1512

Abstract

The usage of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) to strengthen cracked steel structures can effectively improve its bear capacity, so it has been extensively used in recent years. The degradation of interfacial bonding is one of the most important factors affecting the durability of CFRP–steel structures under a freeze–thaw(F–T)/wet–dry (W–D) environment. In this study, epoxy resin adhesive (ERA) dog-bone specimens and CFRP–steel double-lap joints (bonded joints) were prepared. F–T/W–D cycles experiment and tensile tests of the ERA specimens and the bonded joints were also performed. Under F–T/W–D cycles, the main properties of the ERA specimens and the bonded joints were examined. Results indicated that fracture failure occurred in all ERA specimens. The hybrid failure modes of fiber peeling on the surface of CFRP plate and the bonded interface peeling between the CFRP plate and ERA layer primarily occurred in the bonded joints. The failure of both of them can be considered to be brittle, which was unaffected by the F–T/W–D cycles. With increased F–T/W–D cycles, the ultimate load and tensile strength of the ERA specimens initially increased and then decreased, whereas the elastic modulus initially increased and then remained unchanged. The ultimate load of the bonded joints decreased gradually. Based on the relationship between the interfacial bond-slip parameters and the number of F–T/W–D cycles, the bond–slip model of the bonded joints was established. The proposed relationship was validated by comparing with the experimental bond-slip relationships and the predicted relationships under the F–T/W–D cycles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications)

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