Polymer concrete fibre-reinforced

This section is limited to the application of methods of mathematical optimization to materials with cement-based matrices, like ordinary concretes, polymer concretes, fibre-reinforced concretes, etc. Other methods of improving the material design by separate analyses of particular aspects and criteria, or by computer assisted comparisons of a number of designs to select the best one, are mentioned only briefly. 

The construction industry is using various kinds of composite materials such as fibre reinforced plastics (FRP), polymer concrete, polymer-asphalt, fibre reinforced polymer concrete, and so on. 

The reliable formulae and extensive test results for polymer and fibre-reinforced composites are scarce. Simple relations for the prediction for shrinkage and creep of ordinary concretes for application in structural design were given already in CEB-FIP Model Code (1990) with coefficients to allow for actual conditions. Later, so-called Model B3 was recommended by ACI (1999) and extensively discussed by Bazant and Baweja (1995). A sHghtly different approach was proposed in EN 1992 (2004) and detailed comments may be found in Vandewalle (2000). 

B.P. Hughes and J.E. Guest, Polymer modified fibre reinforced cement composites . Polymers in Concrete. Proceedings of the First International Congress on Polymer Concretes, 1975. The Construction Press, Lancaster, 1976, pp. 85-92. 

There are less exotic ways of increasing the strength of cement and concrete. One is to impregnate it with a polymer, which fills the pores and increases the fracture toughness a little. Another is by fibre reinforcement (Chapter 25). Steel-reinforced concrete is a sort of fibre-reinforced composite the reinforcement carries tensile loads and, if prestressed, keeps the concrete in compression. Cement can be reinforced with fine steel wire, or with glass fibres. But these refinements, though simple, greatly increase the cost and mean that they are only viable in special applications. Plain Portland cement is probably the world s cheapest and most successful material. 

Green, M. F., Bisby, L. A., Beaudoin, Y., and Labossiere, P., Effect of Freeze-thaw Cycles on the Bond Durability between Fibre Reinforced Polymer Plate Reinforcement and Concrete, NRC Canada, Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 27, 2000. pp. 949-959. Neville, A. M., Concrete Maintenance and Repair, John Wiley Sons, Inc.. New York, NY, 1995. 

Man-made composites fall into three broad classes, depending on whether the main part of the composite, the matrix, is a polymer, a metal or a ceramic. Often, but not always, the composite combines materials from two classes, as in glass-fibre-reinforced plastics. However, the most widely used composite material, concrete, is a ceramic -ceramic composite. The most important classes of artificial composite are described below. The mechanical properties of composites are discussed in Section 10.4. Biological composites are very varied and will not be considered here. 

K.R. Venkatesh et al. Experimental evaluation of the fire behaviour of insulated fibre-reinforced-polymer-strengthened reinforced concrete columns. Fire Safety Journal, Vol.41, (2006), pp.547-557... 

O. Weichold, M. Moller Development of a cement-in-polymer dispersion for improved adhesion in continuous glass-fibre reinforced concrete. 1. Aachen-Dresden Textiltagung, Aachen, 29.-30. Nov. 2007... 

The well-known possibilities of the use of textiles and fibres in construction have developed into fields of application ranging from geotextiles to fibre-reinforced concrete, concrete reinforcing armatures made of fibre-reinforced polymers, usually carbon fibre composites (CFCs), textile membranes and sheeting and to constructions made of fibre-reinforced polymers as multi-layer composites. The present book is dedicated to the spectrum of building geotextiles are excluded, since they are less commonly used for building construction and are more common in earthworks, transit structures and landfills. 

Externally bonded flexural reinforcement (EBFR) for the strengthening of concrete members using unstressed fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) strips... 

Abbasi, A. and P. J. Hogg (2004). Fire testing of concrete beams with fibre reinforced plastic rebar. In Advanced Polymer Composites for Structural Applications in Construction, ed. L. C. Hollaway, Cambridge, UK, Woodhead Publishing, pp. 445-456. 

Blontrock, H., F. Taerwe and S. Matthys (1999). Properties of fibre reinforced plastics at elevated temperatures with regard to fire resistance of reinforced concrete members. Fourth International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures, Farmington HUls, MI, pp. 43-54. 

ISIS-Canada (2001). Strengthening Reinforced Concrete Structures with Externally-Bonded Fibre Reinforced Polymers. Design Manual No. 4. Winnipeg, Manitoba, ISIS-Canada. 

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) are composed of a reinforcement material (glass, aramid or carbon fibres) surrounded and retained by a (thermoplastic or thermosetting) polymer matrix (unsaturated polyester, epoxy, vinyl ester, or polyurethane). FRPs were first used in the rehahiUtation of reinforced or pre-stressed concrete, but they have also been widely used in the reinforcement of timber structures. 

Akihama S, Suenaga T, Nakagawa T, Suzuki K, Influence of fibre strength and polymer impregnation on the mechanical properties of carbon fibre reinforced cement composites. Development in Fibre Reinforced Cement and Concrete, Proc RILEM Symposium 1988, Sheffield, Paper 2.3, 1988. 

Garden HN, Hollaway LC, Thorne AM, A preliminary evaluation of carbon fibre reinforced polymer plates for strengthening reinforced concrete memhers,Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Structures and Buildings, 122(2), 127-142, 1997. 

Prota A, Nanni A, Manfredi G, Cosenza E (2004) Selective upgrade of under-designed reinforced concrete beam-column joints using carbon fibre- reinforced polymers. ACI Struct J Title n... 

As an additive to cement and reinforcer to concrete Polymer modified concrete (PMC), polymer concrete (PC), polymer impregnated concrete (PIC), fibre-reinforced plastic (ERP) rebars... 

Rebars are polymer fibre reinforced-concrete composites, and they are used as primary structures. It is estimated that replacement of steel reinforcing bars by non-corrosive polymer fibres, i.e., by Kevlar or carbon fibres (which gives rise to Kevlar or C-composite bars) for concrete structures produces structures with one-quarter the weight and twice the tensile strength of the steel bar. It is known that, corrosion of steel reinforcement from carbonation or chloride attack can lead to loss of the structural integrity of concrete structures, and such a danger is non-existent for rebars. Thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) values of these fibres are closer to concrete than that of steel, which provides an another advantage and they have the same surface deformation patterns as the steel bars. In addition, they can provide more economy than epoxy-coated steel bars. 

State-of-the Art Report on Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures, Report No. ACI 440R-96, ACI, Farmington Hills, Ml,... 

A. Khalifa, G. Tumialan, A. Nanni and A. Belarbi in Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Fibre Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement (FRP) for Reinforced Concrete Structures, Eds., C.W. Dolan, S.H. Rizkalla and A. Nanni, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 1999, p.995-1008. 

Key words fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), composites, structural engineering, strengthening, concrete, civil engineering. 

In the last two decades, there has been an increasing effort to migrate reinforced polymer composites into the construction industry for structural load-bearing applications where they have established themselves as a viable and competitive alternative for rehabilitation and retrofit of existing civil structures, as a replacement for steel in reinforced concrete and, to a lesser extent, for entirely new civil structures. There are many reasons to consider fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in civil engineering applications. This section is intended to provide a brief summary of these reasons along with the issues that have slowed down a widespread acceptance of these composites in the construction sector. 

El-Salakawy E, Benmokrane B and Desgagne G (2003), Fibre-reinforced polymer composite bars for the concrete deck slab of Wotton Bridge , Can J Civil Eng, 30(5), 861-870. 

Bournas, D.A., Lontou, P.V., Papanicolaou, C.G., Triantafillou, T.C. (2007). Textile-reinforced mortar versus fibre-reinforced polymer confinement in reinforced concrete columns, ACI Structural Journal, 104, 740-748. 

---