Polymers, Fibres, Composites and the Civil Engineering Environment: A Personal Experience

Abstract

The paper discusses the experience gained by a civil engineer in the utilisation of advanced polymer composites in construction from the mid-1960s to the present time. It has considered the early use of composites in the form of load bearing and infill panels in conjunction with a basic RC beam and column skeletal structure, through to geometric shapes of all FRP building systems. The experience gained from this work encouraged the civil engineering industry to consider the building block technique to form structural members. The cost of the material was recognised as a disadvantage but its advantages in terms of mechanical and in-service properties were considerable. It was acknowledged that currently the most advantageous use of FRP composites in construction was in the form of hybrid structural systems made from them and the more conventional civil engineering materials such as concrete, steel and aluminium. The developments of composite structural systems for construction have been discussed. In the mid 1980s large reflectors for space were being investigated and designed by NASA and the Ministry of Defence, UK. This paper outlines the experience gained in developing FRP deployable skeletal structures, an energy loaded joint and a composite material that could resist the hostile environment of space. The paper has shown the successful use of advanced polymer composites in construction over a very short period of time and it has intimated that the continued success of the material is in the hands of many eminent civil engineers who, by their ingenuity and innovation will influence over future years the rapid and continued use of polymers and polymers composites.