Use of FRP in Egypt, Research Overview and Applications

Abstract

Advanced Composite Materials, (ACM), have been used in civil engineering applications in Egypt over the last two decades. Significant progress has been made in the use of ACM in the form of fibre reinforced polymers, (FRP), to repair, rehabilitate and upgrade aging or damaged structures. Egypt has released its national code for design and application of FRP in construction fields addressing both externally bonded and internal FRP reinforcement in concrete elements. As a result, the use of FRP for repair, strengthening and retrofitting of structures have become a very well accepted practice in Egypt. The code has been issued after a series of successful rehabilitation projects and extensive studies at different research institutions in Egypt. This paper presents a general overview on samples of the research activities in Egypt for using FRP in strengthening concrete structures. FRP laminates are applied for strengthening slabs or beams in flexure and shear as well as for confinement of reinforced concrete, (RC), columns. Different research programs carried out in Egypt in the field of FRP are presented. This research is an outcome of collaboration between different universities and research institutes in Egypt. The paper also presents field applications of FRP strengthening of special structures in Egypt. Selected projects utilizing ACM in the form of externally bonded FRP laminates to strengthen existing reinforced concrete structures are presented. Historical buildings such as the Egyptian Museum and Kaitbay Fence were rehabilitated after distress/deterioration caused by corrosion of steel reinforcement and lack of maintenance. Design concepts and constructional details are presented for each project.