11 - Durability of externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite systems

Abstract

Publisher Summary The durability of externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite systems refers to the ability of those materials to provide enhanced structural characteristics to existing structures over timeframes of interest. The durability characteristics of a given FRP composite material applied to a given substrate material is influenced by numerous interrelated factors. This chapter discusses durability issues for generic types of wet-laid and pre-cured thermosetting FRP material systems as well as the interaction between these material systems and four of the most commonly encountered substrates – concrete, wood, masonry, and steel. The durability issues for the types of reinforcements, such as FRP materials bonded into slots cut into a substrate, are expected to overlap with those for internal FRP reinforcements and externally bonded FRP reinforcements. Carefully planned and executed accelerated tests on laboratory specimens can be useful for one-on-one comparisons of various FRP systems applied to a particular type of substrate under a fixed set of testing conditions, although such data might not accurately predict the field performance of the substrate–FRP hybrid system.