Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have become known for their specific advantages for civil infrastructure construction. High corrosion resistance in particular is one such strength, which has led to successful applications worldwide. This paper focuses on the structural applications of FRP composites as major load-carrying members (therefore strengthening of existing structures is not included) in aggressive environments. It is review and comparatively studied for environmental effects on FRP composites at the structural level mainly about joints and connections, including elevated environmental temperatures, humidity and water immersion, and ultraviolet (UV) exposure. The quantifications of such environmental effects on structural responses further assist development of large scale civil structures made from FRP composites. We therefore also present a few implementations of FRP composites in civil infrastructure construction including i) FRP truss and frame structures in high humility areas, ii) FRP composite bumper systems for bridge piers, iii) floating FRP structures for solar panels, iv) FRP steel composite piles for foundation applications, and v) FRP sheets, planks and piles for modular assembly of a retaining wall. These results are introduced as initiatives from own experiences, with the aim of demonstrating their applicability and providing examples for others with similar needs.

Connections and structural applications of fibre reinforced polymer composites for civil infrastructure in aggressive environments

Currently, the application of pultruded profiles is increasing owing to their advantages, such as light weight, high strength, improved durability, corrosion resistance, ease of transportation, spe...

Pultruded materials and structures: A review:

Structural performance of a large-scale space frame assembled using pultruded GFRP composites

Effect of retrogression treatments on microstructure, hardness and corrosion behaviors of aluminum alloy 7085

Acquiring photos and videos has become a new norm in construction and building projects. However, imagery data is not utilized effectively due to the shortage of required skillsets in the industry and nonfamiliarity with classic image processing methods. Computer vision research in the context of construction and building has heavily focused on the interface between machine learning, and object tracking and activity recognition. Although positive results have been reported, namely improved productivity, safety and quality, implementations in the industry will not be immediate. Furthermore, algorithms such as convolutional neural networks (CNN), residual neural networks (ResNet) and recurrent neural networks (RNN) usually need to undergo extensive transfer learning in order to capture project-specific information in civil infrastructure engineering. This paper revisits classic image processing methods that can capture clues of site scenes with capability of high-level reasoning and inference. The work contributes to the body of knowledge by reviewing color, geometry and feature-based diagnostics in project environments.

Scene understanding in construction and buildings using image processing methods: A comprehensive review and a case study

Flexural properties of a lightweight hybrid FRP-aluminum modular space truss bridge system

Compared to the composite thin-walled tube, the composite foam sandwich pipe has better local flexural rigidity, which can take full advantage of the high strength of composite materials. In this paper, a series of composite foam sandwich pipes with different parameters were designed and manufactured using the prefabricated polyurethane foam core-skin co-curing molding technique with E-glass fabric prepreg. The corresponding axial-load compressive tests were conducted to investigate the influence factors that experimentally determine the axial compressive performances of the tubes. In the tests, the detailed failure process and the corresponding load–displacement characteristics were obtained; the influence rules of the foam core density, surface layer thickness, fiber ply combination and end restraint on the failure modes and ultimate bearing capacity were studied. Results indicated that: (1) the fiber ply combination, surface layer thickness and end restraint have a great influence on the ultimate load bearing capacity; (2) a reasonable fiber ply combination and reliable interfacial adhesion not only optimize the strength but also transform the failure mode from brittle failure to ductile failure, which is vital to the fully utilization of the composite strength of these composite foam sandwich pipes.

Qilin Zhao

Papers

Flexural properties of a lightweight hybrid FRP-aluminum modular space truss bridge system

Experimental Tests on the Composite Foam Sandwich Pipes Subjected to Axial Load

Torsional behavior of a hybrid FRP-aluminum space truss bridge: Experimental and numerical study

Development of lightweight emergency bridge using GFRP–metal composite plate-truss girder

Experimental and numerical study of the torsional response of a modular hybrid FRP-aluminum triangular deck-truss beam