Properties of pultruded advanced composites

Regarding the thermo-physical properties of GFRP profiles, the following behavioural aspects are outlined (i) reduced self-weight, about four to five times less than that of steel (the main competitor within structural materials), which facilitates transport and handling operations on site (ii) thermal 

Property Test standards Pultrusion direction Transverse direction 

Property Test standards GFRP CFRP AFRP 

Mechanical properties depend mainly on the type and content of the fibre reinforcement, and are also influenced by the type of curing and quality control during manufacturing. But, unlike steel, the strength of an FRP bar can vary considerably with the diameter, especially in GFRP bars. Therefore, manufacturers usually specify values of mechanical properties for all diameters commercialised. 

In general, the elasticity modulus and the stiengthof FRP bars in compression seem to be significantly lower than their counterparts in tension, particularly for GFRP and AFRP bars. For that reason, and also because only a limited number of studies have been performed on the compressive behaviour of FRP bars, their use in columns or as compression reinforcement of members in flexure is not recommended (ACI Committee 440, 2006). 

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