Strengthening reinforced concrete beams using prestressed glass fiber-reinforced polymer-Part I: Experimental study

This work is aimed at studying the strengthening of reinforced concrete (R. C.) beams using prestressed glass fi- ber-reinforced polymer (PGFRP). Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) has recently become popular for use as repair or rehabilitation material for deteriorated R. C. structures, but because CFRP material is very stiff, the difference in CFRP sheet and concrete material properties is not favorable for transferring the prestress from CFRP sheets to R. C. members. Glass fi- ber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets with Modulus of Elasticity quite close to that of concrete was chosen in this study. The load-carrying capacities (ultimate loads) and the deflections of strengthened R. C. beams using GFRP and PGFRP sheets were tested and compared. T- and ⊥-shaped beams were used as the under-strengthened and over-strengthened beams. The GFRP sheets were prestressed to one-half their tensile capacities before being bonded to the T- and ⊥-shaped R. C. beams. The prestressed tension in the PGFRP sheets caused cambers in the R. C. beams without cracks on the tensile faces. The PGFRP sheets also enhanced the load-carrying capacity. The test results indicated that T-shaped beams with GFRP sheets increased in load-carrying capacity by 55% while the same beams with PGFRP sheets could increase load-carrying capacity by 100%. The ⊥-shaped beams with GFRP sheets could increase load-carrying capacity by 97% while the same beams with PGFRP sheets could increase the loading-carrying capacity by 117%. Under the same external loads, beams with GFRP sheets underwent larger deflections than beams with PGFRP sheets. While GFRP sheets strengthen R. C. beams, PGFRP sheets decrease the beams’ ductility, especially for the over-strengthened beams (⊥-shaped beams).

Strain coordination of quasi-plane-hypothesis for reinforced concrete beam strengthened by epoxy-bonded glass fiber reinforced plastic plate

The testing of thirteen reinforeed concrete （RC） beams strengthened by epoxy-bonded glass fiber reinforced plastic plate （GFRP） shows that the RC beam and the GFRP plate with epoxy bonding on it can work fairly well in coordination to eaeh other. But there is relative slipping between RC beam and GFRP plate. And the strain of GFRP and steel rebar of RC beam satisfies the quasi-plane-hypothesis, that is, the strain of longitudinal fiher that parallels to the neutral axis of plated beam within the scope of effective height （ h0 ） of the cross section is in direct proportion to the distance from the fiber to the neutral axis. The strain of GFRP and steel rebar satisfies the equation： εGFRP=Kεsteel.

Static Bending Creep Properties of Glass Fiber Surface Composite Wood

To study the static bending creep properties of glass fiber reinforced wood,glass fiber reinforced poplar(GFRP)specimens were obtained by pasting glass fiber on the upper and lower surfaces of Poplar(Populus euramevicana,P),the performance of Normal Creep(NC)and Mechanical Sorptive Creep(MSC)of GFRP and their influencing factors were tested and analyzed.The test results and analysis show that:(1)The MOE and MOR of Poplar were increased by 17.06%and 10.00%respectively by the glass fiber surface reinforced composite.(2)The surface reinforced P with glass fiber cloth only exhibits the NC pattern of wood and loses the MSC characteristics of wood,regardless of the constant or alternating changes in relative humidity.(3)The instantaneous elastic deformation,viscoelastic deformation,viscous deformation and total creep deflection of GFRP are positively correlated with the stress level of the external load applied to the specimen.Still,the specimen’s creep recovery rate is negatively correlated with the stress level of the external load applied to the specimen.The static creep deflection and viscous deformation of GFRP increase with the increase of the relative humidity of the environment.(4)The MSC maximum creep deflection of GFRP increased by only 7.41%over the NC maximum creep deflection,but the MSC maximum creep deflection of P increased by 199.25%over the NC maximum creep deflection.(5)The Burgers 4-factor model and the Weibull distribution equation can fit the NC and NC recovery processes of GFRP well.

A Study on the Estimation of Prefabricated Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Panel Strength Values with an Artificial Neural Network Model

In this study,artificial neural networks trained with swarm based artificial bee colony optimization algorithm was implemented for prediction of the modulus of rapture values of the fabricated glass fiber reinforced concrete panels.For the application of the ANN models,143 different four-point bending test results of glass fiber reinforced concrete mixes with the varied parameters of temperature,fiber content and slump values were introduced the artificial bee colony optimization and conventional back propagation algorithms.Training and the testing results of the corresponding models showed that artificial neural networks trained with the artificial bee colony optimization algorithm have remarkable potential for the prediction of modulus of rupture values and this method can be used as a preliminary decision criterion for quality check of the fabricated products.

Development and Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics Geogrid

Glass fiber reinforced plastics geogrid has a wide application in the field of soil reinforcement because of its high strength, good toughness, and resistance to environmental stress, creep resistance and strong stability. In order to get high-powered glass fiber reinforced plastics geogrid and its mechanical characteristics, the properties and physical mechanical index of geogrid have been got through the study of its raw material, production process and important quality index. The analysis and study have been made to the geogrid＇s mechanical properties with loading speed, three-axial compression, temperature tensile test and FLAC3D numerical simulation, thus obtain the mechanical parameters of its displacement time curve, breaking strength and elongation at break. Some conclusions can be drawn as follows： （a） Using glass fiber materials, knurling and coated projection process, the f^acture strength and corrosion resistance of geogrid are greatly improved and the interlocking bite capability of soil is enhanced. （b） The fracture strength of geogrid is related to temperature and loading rate. When the surrounding rock pressure is fixed, the strength and anti-deformation ability of reinforced soil are significantly enhanced with increasing reinforced layers. （c） The pullout test shows the positive correlation between geogrid displacement and action time. （d） As a new reinforced material, the glass fiber reinforced plastics geogrid is not mature enough in theoretical research and practical experience, so it has become an urgent problem both in theoretical study and practical innovation.

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of UV⁃Assisted Filament Winding Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer⁃Matrix Composite

This paper studied the preparation and mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer-matrix composite rings prepared by filament winding assisted by ultraviolet(UV)curing.A ray-tracing method was used to calculate the penetration ability of UV light in the resin casting,and then a typical composite ring with dual⁃curing characteristics was prepared by UV-assisted curing.The effects of winding speed and thermal initiator concentration on the distribution of fiber fraction and mechanical properties were studied.Microscopic morphology was used for the observation of the differences in fiber volume fraction.Mechanical properties tests and scanning electron micrographs were performed to investigate the failure and damage mechanisms of the composite ring samples.The ray tracing results indicate that the UV light can pass through a single yarn thickness and the energy transmitted is sufficient to cure the back side quickly.The experimental results show that the mechanical properties of the composite ring prepared in this paper are comparable to those of the heat-cured samples,which is sufficient to meet the requirements of the flywheel.

Behaviour of Multiscale Progressive Damage for Different Matrix Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics Bars

The damage formation and evolution of glass fiber reinforced plastics( GFRP) bar on mechanical properties were mainly evaluated by theoretical analysis and numerical calculations which lack of test basis of damage process. The two different matrices of unsaturated polyester and vinylester GFRP bars were selected to carry out a series of macro-mesoscopic physical and mechanical tests to analyze the tensile progressive damage process on a multiscale. The formation of apparent crack,the bonding of internal components as well as the strain change were all reflected damage evolution of GFRP bar,and a certain correlation existed between them. Wherein the matrix has an obvious impact on the damage of bar,the component stress transfer effect of vinylester bar is better than unsaturated polyester from crack propagation observation and scanning electron microscopy( SEM). The cyclic loading tests quantitatively reflect the difference of damage accumulation between different matrix bars,and the failure load of bars decreases nearly 10%.

Structural Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete for Slabs on Ground

This paper aims to contribute to the classification and specification of glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) and to deal with the question if structural glass fiber reinforced concrete as a special kind of glass fiber reinforced concrete is suited for use in load-bearing members. Despite excellent material properties, the use of glass fibers in a concrete matrix is carried out so far only in non- structural elements or as a modification for the prevention of shrinkage cracks. The aim of re- search at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig is the use of alkali-resistant macro glass fibers as concrete reinforcement in structural elements as an alternative to steel fiber reinforcement. Slabs on ground, as an example for structural members, provide a sensible application for the new material because they can be casted as load bearing and non-load bearing and are mostly made of steel fiber reinforced concrete. In the future, structural glass fiber reinforced concrete shall provide a simple and visually appealing alternative to conventional steel bar or steel fiber reinforced concrete. The glass fibers can also be used in combination with conventional reinforcing bars or mat reinforcements. Initial investigations have announced some potential.

Thermal Structure of Glass Fiber Reinforce Plastic Support Structure

The assembled form of thick-wall glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) tube and 0Cr18Ni9 austenitic stainless steel pipes was designed as the radius thermal-insulating and load-supporting structure in cryogenic vessels. In order to study the thermal leakage and gap changes on the support structure, as well as radius temperature and stress distribution on GFRP tube, an experimental investigation has been taken. The results indicate that the support structure is proved to fit well as thermal-insulating and load-supporting part in cryo-genic vessels, furthermore has high security during cryogenic applications.

Comparison between the preparation,structure and mechanical properties of long fiber reinforced thermoplastics and short fiber reinforced thermoplastic

This article summarizes the comparison between the preparation, structure and mechanical properties of long fiber reinforced thermoplastics （LFT） and short fiber reinforced thermoplastics （SFT）. Both of the experiment and theory results showed that the mechanical properties of long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics pellets （LGFRT） have been enhanced better than that of short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics pellets （SGFRT） manufactured by molding procession. After regulation of the relative humidity by 50 % , the mechanical properties of 30 % （ weight percent） short glass fiber content in SFT （ SFT-PA6-SGF30 ） are similar to that of 40 % long glass fiber content in LFT. Howev- er, the density of the latter is about 17 % lower than that of the former. Thus, the corresponding weight of products is reduced by 13 % ;output rate is increased by 21% , and the cost is therefore significantly lowered. And it has the fol- lowing advantages： impact strength is increased by 87 % ; the proportion is reduced by 20 % ; molding cycle is short- ened by 10 % ;materials cost is saved by 20 % -30 % and the final total cost is saved by 30 % -40 %. So LFT （LFT-PP-LGF40） can replace SFT （SFT-PA6-SGF30） with the similar basic mechanical properties under normal tem- perature or 160 ℃ lower.

Static and Fatigue Behavior of Hybrid Bonded/Bolted Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Joints Under Tensile Loading

This paper presents the static and fatigue tests of hybrid(bonded/bolted)glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP)joints.Nine specimens of single-lap hybrid GFRP joints have been fabricated to study the static and fatigue behaviors in the experimental campaign.The static tests of uniaxial tension loading are first conducted,from which the static ultimate bearing capacities of the joints are obtained.High-cycle fatigue tests are subsequently carried out so that the fatigue failure mode,fatigue life,and stiffness degradation of joints can be obtained.The measuring techniques including acoustic emission monitoring and three-dimensional digital image correlation have been employed in the tests to record the damage development process.The results revealed that the static strength and fatigue behavior of such thick hybrid GFRP joints were controlled by the bolted connections.The four stages of fatigue failure process are obtained from tests and acoustic emission signals analysis:cumulative damage of adhesive layer,damage of the adhesive layer,cumulative damage of GFRP plate,and damage of GFRP plate.The fatigue life and stiffness degradation can be improved by more bolts.The S-N(fatigue stress versus life)curves for the fatigue design of the single-lap hybrid GFRP joints under uniaxial tension loading are also proposed.

Numerical simulation and experimental study on electrothermal properties of carbon/glass fiber hybrid textile reinforced concrete

Carbon/glass fiber hybrid textile reinforced concrete is a relatively new composite material with good mechanical capacity and excellent electrical conductivity.Both small-scale slab heating experiments and numerical simulation are presented in this paper.Temperature variation curves obtained during heating indicate the effects of environmental temperature,heat-conducting layer thickness and electric heating power.Comparison of temperature rising between the situations with and without thermal isolation layer is given as well.The results indicate that the textile can form a good conductive heating network and generate enough heat to raise the temperature in the concrete when connected to a power supply,while the resistance of the slab remains stable during the heating.Numerical results are in good accordance with the experiments.Real time snow-melting experiment was conducted to verify the feasibility of deicing.The electrothermal properties of textile can be utilized for deicing and snow melting in a safe,environmentally friendly and efficient way.

Mechanical behavior of concrete filled glass fiber reinforced polymer-steel tube under cyclic loading

The mechanical behavior of concrete-filled glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP)-steel tube structures under combined seismic loading is investigated in this study. Four same-sized specimens with different GFRP layout modes were tested by a quasi-static test system. Finite element analysis(FEA) was also undertaken and the results were presented. Results of the numerical simulation compared well with those from experimental tests. Parametric analysis was conducted by using the FE models to evaluate the effects of GFRP thickness, axial compression rate, and cross sectional steel ratio. The experimental and numerical results show that the technique of GFRP strengthening is effective in improving the seismic performance of traditional concrete-filled steel tubes, with variations related to different GFRP layout modes.

Bond Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Anti-Floating Anchor in Concrete Baseplate

Combined with fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensing technology,four glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP)anti-floating anchors and four steel anti-floating anchors were tested for on-site destructive failure to investigate the anchoring performance and the bonding characteristics between GFRP anti-floating anchor and concrete floor.The test results show that bending GFRP anchor will be broken at the common boundary between vertical anchorage section and bending section during the pullout process,and the spring-back load provided by the rupture contributes to a decrease of bearing capacity and an inflection point on the load-slip curve.The loaddisplacement curve of the straight anchor GFRP anti-floating anchor is smoother and has better predictability than the same type of steel anchor.Additionally,different forms of GFRP anti-floating bolt have different bondslip constitutive relations.By introducing the sliding-slip correction factor of bending bolt,constitutive models describing the rising-section of sliding-slip relation of bending and straight-anchored GFRP anti-floating bolt are established respectively.The model can fit the test results rightly.

Experimental Study of the Shear Capacity of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Beam with Circular Cross Section

In order to research the shear behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete beam with circular cross section, based on the test results of 36 concrete beams subjected to four-point loading up to failure, the shear capacity and mechanical properties of deformation were analyzed comparatively between GFRP reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) beams and steel reinforced concrete (steel-RC) beams. Furthermore, influencing factors of shear capacity of GFRP-RC beam with circular cross section were also investigated. The test results indicate that the failure modes of GFRP-RC and steel-RC beams are the same, but the crack patterns are slightly different. And, the shear capacity of GFRP-RC beam firstly increases with the reduction of shear span ratio, and then decreases. In addition, it was found that the influencing coefficient of GFRP on concrete increases with shear span ratio reducing.

Behavior of interfacial stresses between RC beams and GFRP sheets

Seven reinforced concrete （RC） beams with epoxy-bonded glass fiber reinforced plastic （GFRP） sheets and two control RC beams were experimentally tested to investigate the bond behavior of the interfaces between RC beams and GFRP sheets. The variable parameters considered in test beams are the layers of GFRP sheets, the bond lengths and the reinforcement ratios. The results indicate that the flexural strength of the repaired beams is increased, but the ultimate load of beams with GFRP sheets debonding failure is reduced relatively. The bond length is the main factor that results in bonding failure of the strengthened beams. An experimental method of interfacial shear stress is proposed to analyze the distribution of shear stress according to experimental results. The analytical method of shear and normal stresses and a simple equation are proposed to predict the peeling loads. The proposed model is applied to experimental beams. The analytical results show a good agreement with the experimental results.

A FATIGUE FAILURE CRITERION OF NOTCHED GFRP LAMINATES

A fatigue failure criterion for predicting the fatigue life of notched orthotropic fiber reinforced plasties (FRP) plates based on the concept of stress field intensity (SFI) near the notch root is subjected to further experiments. The investigation is accomplished by obtaining experimental data on the notched specimens of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) with edged notches under tension tension cyclic loading. The process of initiation and growth of fatigue damage near the notch root is measured by means of the optic system with a computer controlled display (CCD) camera. The experimental results show that the number of loading cycles required to initiate fatigue damage is governed by the stress field intensity.

Experimental Analysis on Local Buckling of GFRP?Foam Sandwich Pipe Under Axial Compressive Loading

To find out the local buckling behaviors of glass fiber reinforced plastic(GFRP)-foam sandwich pipe suffering axial loading,a series of quasi-static axial compression tests are carried out in the laboratory.Comparing with the test data,systematic numerical analysis on the local buckling behavior of this sandwich pipe is also conducted,and the buckling failure mechanism is revealed.The influences of the key parameters on bearing capacity of the sandwich structure are discussed.Test and numerical results show that the local buckling failure of the GFRPfoam sandwich pipe is dominated basically by two typical modes,i.e.,the conjoint buckling and the layered buckling.Local buckling at the end,shear failure at the end and interface peeling failure are less efficient than the local buckling failure at the middle height,and ought to be restrained by appropriate structural measures.The local buckling bearing capacity increases linearly with the core density of the sandwich pipe structure.When the core density is relatively high(higher than 0.05 g/cm3),the effect of increasing the core density on improving the bearing efficiency is less on the specimens with a large ratio of the wall thickness to the radius than on those with a small one.Local layered buckling is another failure mode with lower bearing efficiency than the local conjoint buckling,and it can be restrained by increasing the core density to ensure the cooperation of the inner and the outer GFRP surface layer.The bearing capacity of the GFRP-foam sandwich pipe increases with the height-diameter ratio;however,the bearing efficiency decreases with this parameter.

GFRP Poles for Traffic Signs and Signal Poles: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia

GFRP poles have been widely used as lighting poles but their use as traffic signs and signal poles is still under development. This paper highlights the literature review and case study of using GFRP poles for traffic signs and signal poles in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The case study details the design of poles, construction, maintenance and their performance. Traffic sign poles were manufactured using filament winding and signal poles using pultrusion process. AASHTO Standard “Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires and Traffic Signals” and ANSI 136.2. were used as materials specification and design for the pole. There is a need to develop dedicated design and construction guidelines to standardize the construction process. Further study about the crash resistance of GFRP poles at different speeds needs to be explored. In addition, the paper presents a high level comparison between the different materials like weight, safety, environmental degradation, strength, service life, durability in an aggressive environment, carbon footprint and economics.

The impact of the new composite material technology on the performance of the tennis rackets

With the continues improving of people＇s living standards, more and more people work out in all kinds of sports fields beyond the busy work. On the other hand, the development of the modem competitive sports also requires that the sports experts should not only strive for the scientific training, but should also pay much attention on the improvement and development of the sports equipment at the same time, which makes the sports equipment market have achieved unprecedented prosperity. This paper introduces the application of the fiber reinforced composite materials in the field of sports equipment, which is described mainly from the advantages of the fiber reinforced composite materials used in sports equipment areas, and from the aspects of the principles of material selection, the product varieties, the application examples and the status.