Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Buildings Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2024 | Viewed by 15154

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rui Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Building Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: fiber-reinforced-cementitious-composite (FRCC) developed; fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) strengthening method; seismic performance of pre-cast RC structures; structural health monitoring

Prof. Dr. Bo Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China
Interests: strong ground motion characteristics; seismic analysis; high-performance seismic structure; seismic resilience; seismic strengthen
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Muye Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Interests: carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strengthening method; fatigue and corrosion mechanism; development of anti-corrosion technology; structural durability improvement

Dr. Weidong He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China
Interests: behavior of FRP-strengthened RC structure; advanced sensor and structural health monitoring; new offshore platform

Prof. Dr. Chuntao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Southwest University of Science and Technology · School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Mianyang 621000, China
Interests: mechanical properties of building materials; structural dynamic response and reliability analysis; and explosion proof and disaster reduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development and application of new materials is one of the main driving forces of technical development in the field of civil engineering. Compared with traditional structural materials, a fiber-reinforced composite (FRP) has the advantages of being light weight, high strength, and corrosion resistant while also having designability. Over a very long period of time, fiber composite materials have experienced a history of trials, demonstrations, development and popularization. Now, they are widely used in existing structure reinforcements and various new structures, which can effectively improve structural performance and prolong structural life. In order to better promote the large-scale application of fiber-reinforced plastics in the field of engineering construction, the further exchange of the latest research results and the application progress of fiber-reinforced plastics, and the research and technology of fiber-reinforced plastics in the field of engineering construction, this Special Issue will solicit papers on the performance of FRP materials, the application of FRPs in new structures, and the application of FRPs in structural reinforcement.

Dr. Rui Guo
Prof. Dr. Bo Wang
Dr. Muye Yang
Dr. Weidong He
Prof. Dr. Chuntao Zhang
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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

Keywords

material properties of FRP
FRP application in new structures
FRP application in structural reinforcements
durability and long-term behavior of FRP/FRCM/TRM materials and systems
health monitoring and quality control related to FRP systems
hybrid FRP-concrete and other structures
new FRP materials/systems/techniques

Published Papers (10 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 7860 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modified Constitutive Models and Mechanical Properties of GFRP after High-Temperature Cooling

by Junjie Wu and Chuntao Zhang

Buildings 2024, 14(2), 439; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020439 - 05 Feb 2024

Viewed by 553

Abstract

Many materials are highly sensitive to temperature, and the study of the fire resistance of materials is one of the important research directions, which includes the study of the fire resistance of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, but the cooling mode on the change of FRP mechanical properties after high temperature has not been investigated. This study analyzes the mechanical properties of GFRP under various cooling methods after exposure to high temperatures. The tensile strength of GFRP was evaluated through water cooling, firefighting foam cooling, and air cooling within the temperature range of 20–300 °C. Damage modes were investigated at different target temperatures. The results indicate that the tensile strength of air-cooled GFRP is the highest, whereas water cooling yields the lowest retention rate. It indicates that the FRP temperature decreases slowly under air cooling and the better recovery of the damage within the resin matrix, while under water cooling, the damage at the fiber/resin interface is exacerbated because of the high exposed temperature and the water, resulting in a reduction in the strength of GFRP. Between 20 and 150 °C, GFRP essentially recovers its mechanical properties after cooling, with a residual tensile strength factor exceeding 0.9. In the range of 150–250 °C, GFRP exhibits a graded decline in strength. At 300 °C, GFRP loses certain mechanical properties after cooling, with a residual tensile strength factor below 0.1. Furthermore, the analysis of experimental results led to the modification of the Johnson–Cook constitutive model, proposing a model for GFRP under three cooling methods. Additionally, a predictive model for the elastic modulus of GFRP after high-temperature cooling was derived, showing agreement with experimental results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 9871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nondestructive Testing (NDT) for Damage Detection in Concrete Elements with Externally Bonded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer

by Jesús D. Ortiz, Seyed Saman Khedmatgozar Dolati, Pranit Malla, Armin Mehrabi and Antonio Nanni

Buildings 2024, 14(1), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010246 - 16 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 936

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites offer a corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and durable alternative to traditional steel material in concrete structures. However, the lack of established inspection methods for assessing reinforced concrete elements with externally bonded FRP (EB-FRP) composites hinders industry-wide confidence in their adoption. This study addresses this gap by investigating non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques for detecting damage and defects in EB-FRP concrete elements. As such, this study first identified and categorized potential damage in EB-FRP concrete elements considering where and why they occur. The most promising NDT methods for detecting this damage were then analyzed. And lastly, experiments were carried out to assess the feasibility of the selected NDT methods for detecting these defects. The result of this study introduces infrared thermography (IR) as a proper method for identifying defects underneath the FRP system (wet lay-up). The IR was capable of highlighting defects as small as 625 mm² (1 in.²) whether between layers (debonding) or between the substrate and FRP (delamination). It also indicates the inability of GPR to detect damage below the FRP laminates, while indicating the capability of PAU to detect concrete delamination and qualitatively identify bond damage in the FRP system. The outcome of this research can be used to provide guidance for choosing effective on-site NDT techniques, saving considerable time and cost for inspection. Importantly, this study also paves the way for further innovation in damage detection techniques addressing the current limitations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4636 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Internal and External AR-Glass Textile Systems

by Rana A. Alhorani, Hesham S. Rabayah, Raed M. Abendeh and Donia G. Salman

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1135; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051135 - 24 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1035

Abstract

This paper is an experimental study of the effectiveness of using internal and external alkali-resistant glass fabric textile (AR-GT) layers for flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental work compares internal single and triple layers of AR-GT as supplemental flexural reinforcement with textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) in RC beams subjected to four-point bending loading. In addition, a control beam specimen is cast with no AR-GT fabric. Monitoring the load–deflection curves, crack patterns, and strengthening layer performance showed that using AR-GT for internal and external layers increased the load-carrying capacity of RC beams. The failure patterns of beams with one external AR-GT layer and three internal AR-GT layers showed a similar trend, with higher loading capacity and lower deflections than the other beams. Three internal textile AR-GT layers recorded higher flexural strength (52%) than one internal layer (6.3%), compared to the control beam specimen. Moreover, using one layer of external AR-GT fabric exhibited higher flexural strength than using one or three internal layers (56.8%). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5853 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Properties of Concrete Columns Strengthened by CFRP-UHPC under Axial Compression

by Bo Wang, Gejia Liu and Jiayu Zhou

Buildings 2023, 13(3), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030596 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1547

Abstract

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a kind of structural material with ultra-high strength, extremely low porosity, and excellent durability, which has extremely broad application prospects. In order to promote the application of UHPC constrained by carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets as strengthening material in practical engineering, a total of nine specimens were designed, and two kinds of UHPC strengthening layer thickness (35 mm and 45 mm, respectively) were designed. By changing the constraint form of the UHPC strengthening layer (longitudinal reinforcements and ordinary stirrups, longitudinal reinforcements and spiral stirrups, and CFRP sheets, respectively), the axial compression performance of the strengthened column was explored. The study shows that compared with the without strengthened column, the uplift of carrying capacity of the strengthened test column is 277–561%. The reinforcement form of the strengthening layer has little influence on the lifting capacity. Among the three different strengthening methods, the wrapped CFRP has the best improvement effect on carrying capacity and ductility, followed by longitudinal reinforcements and spiral stirrups in the strengthening layer. With the increase of CFRP layers from two to five layers, the maximum carrying capacity increases by 21.3%. The carrying capacity of three different types of UHPC-strengthened columns is theoretically calculated, and the accuracy of the theoretical calculation method is verified by comparing the test value with the theoretical value, which provides a theoretical basis for the application of UHPC-strengthened columns in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexural Response of Concrete Beams Reinforced with Steel and Fiber Reinforced Polymers

by Noura Khaled Shawki Ali, Sameh Youssef Mahfouz and Nabil Hassan Amer

Buildings 2023, 13(2), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020374 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1880

Abstract

This paper numerically investigates the flexural response of concrete beams reinforced with steel and four types of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP), i.e., Carbon FRP (CFRP), Glass FRP (GFRP), Aramid FRP (AFRP), and Basalt FRP (BFRP). The flexural responses of forty beams with two boundary conditions (simply supported and over-hanging beams) were determined using ABAQUS. Subsequently, the finite element models were validated using experimental results. Eventually, the impact of the reinforcement ratios ranging between 0.15% and 0.60% on the flexural capacity, crack pattern, and fracture energy were investigated for all beams. The results revealed that, for the low reinforcement ratios, the flexural performance of CFRP significantly surpassed that of steel and other FRP types. As the reinforcement ratio reached 0.60%, the steel bars exhibited the best flexural performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 9391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phenomenological 2D and 3D Models of Ductile Fracture for Girth Weld of X80 Pipeline

by Naixian Li, Bin Jia, Junhong Chen, Ying Sheng and Songwen Deng

Buildings 2023, 13(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020283 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1379

Abstract

Welding is the main method for oil/gas steel pipeline connection, and a large number of girth welds are a weak part of the pipeline. Under extremely complex loads, a steel pipeline undergoes significant plastic deformations and eventually leads to pipeline fracture. A damage mechanics model is a promising approach, capable of describing material fracture problems according to the stress states of the materials. In this study, an uncoupled fracture 2D model with a function of fracture strain and stress triaxiality, two uncoupled 3D fracture models, a consider the effect of Lode parameter stress-modified critical strain (LSMCS) model, and an extended Rice–Tracey (ERT) criterion were applied to X80 pipeline girth welds. Comprehensive experimental research was conducted on different notched specimens, covering a wide range of stress states, and the corresponding finite element models were established. A phenomenon-based hybrid numerical–experimental calibration method was also applied to determine the fracture parameter for these three models, and the stress triaxiality of the influence law of the tensile strength was analyzed. The results showed that the proposed fracture criterion could better characterize the ductile fracture behaviors of the girth welds of the X80 pipeline; however, the prediction accuracy of the 3D fracture model was higher than that of the 2D fracture model. The functional relationship between the tensile strength and stress triaxiality of the X80 pipeline girth welds satisfied the distribution form of the quadratic function and increased monotonically. The research results can be used to predict the fracture of X80 pipeline girth welds under various complex loads. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 9221 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical and Experimental Study on Large-Diameter FRP Cable Anchoring System with Dispersed Tendons

by Jingyang Zhou, Xin Wang, Lining Ding, Shui Liu and Zhishen Wu

Buildings 2023, 13(1), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010092 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1265

Abstract

Based on a previously designed variable-stiffness load transfer component (LTC), a novel dispersed-tendon cable anchor system (CAS) was developed to increase the anchoring efficiency of large-diameter basalt-fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) cables. The static behaviors of the CAS are then numerically evaluated by a simplified three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model and implemented in a full-scale BFRP cable. The FE results indicated that the accuracy of the simplified dispersed-tendon model could be effectively ensured by dividing the revised compensation factor. The anchor behavior of the dispersed-tendon CAS was superior to that of the parallel-tendon CAS when the same cable was applied. The radial stress and tensile stress difference can be reduced by decreasing the tendon spacing. The testing and simulated results agreed well with the load–displacement relationship and axial displacement. All tendons fractured in the testing section, and the LTC suffered minimal damage. The ultimate force of the cable with 127 4-mm-diameter tendons was 2419 kN, and the corresponding anchoring efficiency was 93%. The cable axial tensile strain in the anchoring zone decreased linearly from the loading end to the free end. The cable shear stress concentration at the loading end can be avoided by employing a variable-stiffness anchoring method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 9679 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites at Elevated Temperatures

by Chuntao Zhang, Yanyan Li and Junjie Wu

Buildings 2023, 13(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010067 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1752

Abstract

Many materials are gradually softened with increasing temperatures in the fire, which will cause severe damage. As a new fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite, the change in mechanical properties of nanometer montmorillonite composite fiber-reinforced bars or plates at elevated temperatures has not been investigated. To obtain a more comprehensive study of the mechanical properties of FRP composites at high temperatures, experimental research on the nanometer montmorillonite composite fiber material under the tensile rate of 1 mm/min was conducted at target temperatures between 20 °C and 350 °C. Finally, the failure mode of the FRP composites after the tensile test was analyzed. The results demonstrate that the elevated temperatures had a major impact on the residual mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites when the exposed temperatures exceeded 200 °C. Below 200 °C, the maximum decrease and increase in the fracture load of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites were between −34% and 153% of their initial fracture load. After exposing to temperatures above 200 °C, the surface color of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites changed from brown to black. When exposed to temperatures between 200 and 300 °C, the ultimate load of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites significantly increased from 731.01 N to 1650.97 N. Additionally, the stress−strain behavior can be accurately predicted by using the proposed Johnson−Cook constitutive model. The experimental results studied in this research can be applied to both further research and engineering applications when conducting a theoretical simulation of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Analysis of Surface Application of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite on Shear Behavior of Masonry Walls Made of Autoclaved Concrete Blocks

by Marta Kałuża

Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2208; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122208 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1573

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the shear behavior of masonry walls made of aero autoclaved concrete (AAC) blocks strengthened by externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Fifteen small wall specimens were constructed and tested in a diagonal compression scheme. Two types of composite materials—carbon- and glass-reinforced polymers—were arranged in two configurations of vertical strips, adopted to the location of the unfilled head joints. The effect of the strengthening location and strengthening materials on changes in the strength and deformability parameters are discussed and the failure process of unstrengthened walls is also presented. The placement of the composite on unfilled head joints proved to be a better solution. Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips provided a threefold increase in stiffness, a 48% increase in load-bearing capacity and a high level of ductility in the post-cracking phase. Glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) strips offered a 56% increase in load-bearing capacity but did not change the stiffness of the masonry and provided relatively little ductility. Placing the composite between unfilled joints was only reasonable for CFRP composites, providing a 35% increase in load-bearing capacity but with negligible ductility of the masonry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5988 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Response of GFRP-RC Interior Beam-to-Column Joints under Cyclic Static Loads

by Rui Guo, Dan Yang, Bin Jia and Deyun Tang

Buildings 2022, 12(11), 1987; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12111987 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1088

Abstract

A total of nine specimens were constructed and tested under cyclic loads to investigate the differences in seismic behavior between glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP)-reinforced concrete (RC) joints and RC beam-to-column joints. The experimental parameters included stirrup ratios, axial pressure ratios and concrete strength of the beam-to-column joints. The cyclic loading test results showed that the GFRP-RC beam-to-column joints can withstand significantly high lateral deformations without exhibiting brittle failure. Moreover, the RC beam-to-column joint exhibited significantly higher energy dissipation and residual displacement than the GFRP-RC beam-to-column joint by 50% and 60%, respectively. Finally, a shear capacity calculation method for the core zone of this kind of joint was proposed, which agreed well with the experimental results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites for Construction

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (10 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI