Fibre reinforced plastics – Development and properties

Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete is a major problem in terms of durability of concrete structures. One of the most promising developments is the use of Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP) as reinforcement or prestressing tendon in concrete structures. FRP reinforcement consist of aligned continuous fibres, mainly carbon, aramid or glass, embedded in a resin matrix such as epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester. FRP possess high tensile strength, light weight, and are non-magnetic and non-corrodible. These properties can lead to maintenance free durable concrete structures. This paper briefly describes the historical development, the production processes and the advantages of FRP. It also summarises the short-term and long-term mechanical properties of the common types of FRP reinforcement, together with some experimental results obtained by the authors. An equation for predicting the long-term creep coefficient of FRP tendons containing aramid fibres with epoxy resin matrix is proposed.