A review on durability of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars reinforced seawater sea sand concrete

Abstract

FRP reinforced seawater sea sand concrete (FRP-SWSSC) combines the advantages of corrosion-free FRP bars in the marine environment and the direct utilization of seawater and sea sand, which can lead to a more sustainable and economic-efficient construction material. This paper reports a comprehensive overview of the current works on workability, mechanical properties (tensile, interlaminar shear, transverse shear, and flexural strength), bond behavior, durability, and applications of FRP-SWSSCs. The results indicated that exposure to the saline/alkaline environment is the main threat to the long-term performance of SWSSC. Furthermore, durability performance can also be affected by the type of FRP, surface protection, and concrete. Normally, the surface enhancement of the FRP bars can enhance its durability performance under saline environment. The current study mainly focuses on the application of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) in SWSSC, while the basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars have gained less attention. Also, GFRP demonstrated better resistance to both simulated concrete pore solution and saline condition than BFRP. Also, the exposure test under real conditions is essential to validate the results obtained from experiments in the simulated environment. The future research directions on FRP-SWSSC systems are recommended based on the summarization of current studies and field application.