Experimental assessment of FRP repairing in concrete cylinders exposed high temperatures

Abstract

This study presents an experimental evaluation of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening in concrete specimens damaged by exposure to high temperatures. For this purpose, sixty cylindrical concrete specimens were produced. Specimens exposed to temperatures of 200 °C, 400 °C, and 600 °C were strengthened using carbon and glass FRP fabrics in two or three layers. Compression tests were conducted to assess the strength of the specimens. The impact of temperature, fabric type, and the number of fabric layers on the concrete's strength was thoroughly investigated. Digital microscopy was employed to explore the formation of cracks due to temperature changes, followed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses to examine the microscopic structural changes in the concrete samples. The study highlights the importance of considering changes in both strength and behavior models together when evaluating the strengthening contributions provided by FRP. The results indicate that FRP applications on fire-damaged concrete structures can provide effective strengthening up to 400 °C but may be insufficient at temperatures of 600 °C and above. Although an effective increase in strength was achieved at 600 °C, low levels of ductility were observed, which is undesirable for an engineering structure. Therefore, it has been determined that FRP-strengthening applications may not be effective in reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements exposed to temperatures of 600°C and higher.