Composites have been found to be the most promising and discerning material available in this century. Presently, composites reinforced with fibers of synthetic or natural materials are gaining more importance as demands for lightweight materials with high strength for specific applications are growing in the market. Fiber-reinforced polymer composite offers not only high strength to weight ratio, but also reveals exceptional properties such as high durability; stiffness; damping property; flexural strength; and resistance to corrosion, wear, impact, and fire. These wide ranges of diverse features have led composite materials to find applications in mechanical, construction, aerospace, automobile, biomedical, marine, and many other manufacturing industries. Performance of composite materials predominantly depends on their constituent elements and manufacturing techniques, therefore, functional properties of various fibers available worldwide, their classifications, and the manufacturing techniques used to fabricate the composite materials need to be studied in order to figure out the optimized characteristic of the material for the desired application. An overview of a diverse range of fibers, their properties, functionality, classification, and various fiber composite manufacturing techniques is presented to discover the optimized fiber-reinforced composite material for significant applications. Their exceptional performance in the numerous fields of applications have made fiber-reinforced composite materials a promising alternative over solitary metals or alloys.

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Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications.

Long-term durability of basalt- and glass-fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP/GFRP) bars in seawater and sea sand concrete environment

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are extensively used in advanced concrete technology given their superiority over traditional steel reinforcements. These materials possess high strength capacity and corrosion resistance and can be employed as the main reinforcements in combination with adhesives and anchorages to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) beam members. RC beams are designed to provide resistance against flexure , shear, torsion, fatigue, impact, and blast loading. The strength and ductility of RC beams can be improved via FRP strengthening techniques with a combination of fibers. The overall strength of FRP composites in RC beams is controlled by fiber type , configuration, and materials and strengthening technique. This review focuses on the characteristics and behaviors of FRP-strengthened RC beams under various loading conditions. It also presents the typical FRP composites with the properties, features, and applications. This review demonstrates that FRP composites can be used to recover the strength of damaged and corroded beams and exhibit good durability and insulation performance. It also provides a straightforward perspective of strengthening and retrofitting techniques for RC beams using FRP composites.

Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams by using fiber-reinforced polymer composites: A review

Effect of sustained load and seawater and sea sand concrete environment on durability of basalt- and glass-fibre reinforced polymer (B/GFRP) bars

Durability study on interlaminar shear behaviour of basalt-, glass- and carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (B/G/CFRP) bars in seawater sea sand concrete environment

This paper investigated the flexural behavior and serviceability performance of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP)-reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) beams fabricated with normal- and high-strength concretes (NSCs and HSCs). The beam specimens measured 4250 mm long x 200 mm wide x 400 mm deep (167.0 x 8 x 16 in.). Three GFRP products with moduli of elasticity ranging from 48.7 to 69.0 GPa (7100 to 10,000 ksi) with sand-coated and helically grooved surface textures were employed. A total of 12 full-scale beams reinforced with GFRP bars and two reinforced with steel bars, serving as control specimens, were tested to failure in four-point bending over a clear span of 3750 mm (148 in.). The test parameters were: 1) type and ratio of the GFRP reinforcement; 2) surface configuration of the GFRP bars; 3) concrete strength; and 4) bar diameter. The test results were reported in terms of deflection, crack width, strains in concrete and reinforcement, flexural capacity, and mode of failure; they were also employed to assess the accuracy of the current deflection and crack-width prediction equations in the FRP-RC codes. The test results revealed that the crack widths were affected by the bar diameter and surface configuration while the deflections were not significantly affected. In addition, the bond coefficient kb value of 1.4 was very conservative for both of the sand-coated and helically grooved GFRP bars in NSC and HSC.

Flexural Behavior and Serviceability of Normal- and High-Strength Concrete Beams Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars

Physical and mechanical characteristics of new basalt-FRP bars for reinforcing concrete structures

This paper presents an experimental study that investigated the physical, mechanical, and durability characteristics of three different types of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars made of basalt and glass fibers with vinylester and epoxy resins, namely basalt/vinylester (B/V) FRP bars, glass/vinylester (G/V) FRP bars, and basalt/epoxy (B/E) FRP bars. First, their physical and mechanical properties were assessed. Then, a comparative durability study was performed on the three types of FRP bars under alkaline exposure simulating a concrete environment. The alkaline exposure was achieved by immersing the bars in an alkaline solution for up to 5,000 h at 60°C. Thereafter, the properties were assessed and compared with the unconditioned (reference) values. The test parameters were (1) fiber type (basalt or glass); (2) resin type (vinylester or epoxy); and (3) conditioning time (1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 h). The test results reveal that the G/V composite had the best physical and mechanical properties an...

Characterization and Comparative Durability Study of Glass/Vinylester, Basalt/Vinylester, and Basalt/Epoxy FRP Bars

The advances in fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) technology have spurred interest in introducing new fibers, such as basalt, in addition to the commonly used glass, carbon, and aramid. Recently, new basalt-FRP (BFRP) bars have been developed, but research is needed to characterize and understand how BFRP bars would behave in concrete members. This paper presents an experimental study aimed at determining the bond-dependent coefficient (kb) and investigating the structural performance of newly developed BFRPs in concrete beams. A total of six concrete beams reinforced with BFRP bars were built and tested up to failure. The test beams measured 200 mm wide, 300 mm high, and 3100 mm long. Ten, 12, and 16 mm BFRP bars with sand-coated surfaces over helical wrapping were used. The beam specimens were designed in accordance with Annex S of CSA S806-12 and tested under four-point bending over a clear span of 2700 mm until failure. The beam test results are introduced and discussed in terms of cracking behavior, deflection, and failure modes. The test results yielded an average kb of 0.76, which is in agreement with the CSA S6-14 recommendation of 0.8 for sand-coated bars. Moreover, comparing the results to code provisions showed that CSA S806-12 may yield reasonable yet conservative deflection predictions at service load for the beams reinforced with BFRP bars.

Ehab A. Ahmed

Papers

Flexural Behavior and Serviceability of Normal- and High-Strength Concrete Beams Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars

Physical and mechanical characteristics of new basalt-FRP bars for reinforcing concrete structures

Characterization and Comparative Durability Study of Glass/Vinylester, Basalt/Vinylester, and Basalt/Epoxy FRP Bars

Experimental testing of basalt-fiber-reinforced polymer bars in concrete beams

Testing of full-scale concrete bridge deck slabs reinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars