Durability of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer bars in wet-dry cycles alkali-salt corrosion

Jianxun Liu,Meirong Chen,Biao Long,Ning Li,Jianping Yang,Zhishen Wu

doi:10.1515/secm-2018-0030

Jianxun Liu, Meirong Chen + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1515/secm-2018-0030

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Abstract

Abstract Basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars have been increasingly applied to offshore structures, which are subjected to seawater corrosion and wet-dry cycles during their service time. This study evaluated the alkali-salt resistance performance of BFRP bars with different resin matrix types under wet-dry cycles. The tensile and shear strength of BFRP bars were tested. As a comparison, experiments of BFRP bars under continuous immersion were also conducted. The mechanisms of the two different conditions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A relationship was established between the degradations under continuous immersion and wet-dry cycling. The results demonstrated that the alkali-salt resistance of vinyl resin matrix BFRP bars was superior to that of epoxy resin matrix BFRP bars under wet-dry cycles. Furthermore, according to the data obtained under continuous immersion, a time shift factor for predicting the durability of BFRP bars under wet-dry cycles was proposed.

Highlights

Offshore structures are usually threatened by a series of problems owing to steel corrosion
The results demonstrated that the alkali-salt resistance of vinyl resin matrix Basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars was superior to that of epoxy resin matrix BFRP bars under wet-dry cycles
The BE bars exhibited the worst corrosion resistance performance, which demonstrated that the alkali-salt corrosion resistance of the E51 epoxy resin matrix BFRP bars was more severe than that of the vinyl resin matrix BFRP bars

Summary

Introduction

Offshore structures are usually threatened by a series of problems owing to steel corrosion. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars, as a type of corrosion-resistant material, have the advantages of light weight and high strength. They have become an alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete [1,2,3,4]. Glass fibers are more extensively used owing to their low cost [5]. Basalt FRP (BFRP) has been developed as a result of its superior performance. It has higher cost efficiency than glass FRP (GFRP) [6,7,8]. Basalt fibers are produced directly from volcanic rocks without any additives, and are environmentally friendly, non-hazardous materials with rich raw material resources [9, 10]

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