The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials has had a dramatic impact on civil engineering techniques over the past three decades. FRPs are an ideal material for structural applications where high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios are required. Developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for civil engineering outlines the latest developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and their applications in civil engineering.Part one outlines the general developments of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) use, reviewing recent advancements in the design and processing techniques of composite materials. Part two outlines particular types of fiber-reinforced polymers and covers their use in a wide range of civil engineering and structural applications, including their use in disaster-resistant buildings, strengthening steel structures and bridge superstructures.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for civil engineering is an essential text for researchers and engineers in the field of civil engineering and industries such as bridge and building construction. - Outlines the latest developments in fiber-reinforced polymer composites and their applications in civil engineering - Reviews recent advancements in the design and processing techniques of composite materials - Covers the use of particular types of fiber-reinforced polymers in a wide range of civil engineering and structural applications

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials have been increasingly used in civil engineering applications in the past two decades. Their wide ranging use, however, is still not realized due to a few fundamental issues including high material costs, relatively short history of applications and the gaps in the development of established standards. Design safety requires that all possible modes and mechanisms of failure are identified, characterized, and accounted for in the design procedures. This chapter provides a review of the failure types encountered in structural engineering applications of FRP and the preventive methods and strategies that have been developed to eliminate or delay such failures. As part of preventive measures, various non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) methods used for monitoring FRP applications are discussed with illustrative examples.

Biofibers are emerging as a low cost, lightweight and environmentally superior alternative in composites. Generally, different fibers exhibit different properties that are fundamentally important to the resultant composites. This chapter gives an overview of the most common biofibers in biocomposites, covering their sources, types, structure, composition, and properties. Drawbacks of biofibers, such as dimensional instability, moisture absorption, biological, ultraviolet and fire resistance, will be discussed. The chapter will focus on their modifications (physical and chemical methods), matrices based on their petrochemical resources and bio-based, processing of biofiber reinforced plastic composites covering the factors influencing processing (humidity, additives, machinery, processing parameter, fiber content and length), and processing techniques (compounding, compression molding, extrusion, injection molding, pultrusion and others) will be discussed. The properties of the biocomposites based on their mechanical, physical, and biological behavior will also be covered. Lastly, this chapter concludes with recent developments and trends of biocomposites in the near future in civil engineering.

This chapter first reviews current structural applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in bridge structures, and describes advantages of FRP in bridge applications. This chapter then introduces the design of a hybrid FRP-concrete bridge superstructure, which has been developed at The University at Buffalo for the past ten years, and discusses structural performance of the superstructure based on extensive experimental and analytical studies.

This chapter presents dozens of select environmental engineering applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials with emphasis on their environmental benefits, followed by discussions on durability of composites. Significance of design codes and specifications in promoting and advancing the applications of FRP composites is addressed. With ever increasing attention toward a sustainable built environment, FRP composites have potential to be selected as a material of choice because of the performance and design advantages of FRPs.

This chapter presents a systematic approach for material characterization, analysis, and design of all-fiber-reinforced polymer or plastic (FRP) composite structures. The suggested ‘bottom-up’ analysis concept is applied throughout the procedure, from materials/microstructures, to macro components, to structural members, and finally to structural systems, thus providing a systematic analysis methodology for all-FRP composite structures. The systematic approach described in this chapter can be used efficiently to analyze and design FRP shapes and bridge systems and also develop new design concepts for all composite structures.

This chapter deals with the uses of advanced composite materials in the construction industry. After considering the advantages of using composites and methods of fabrication, it outlines the surprisingly wide range of applications of composites. Examples are given from around the world of components and complete buildings and bridges, railway and other infrastructure, geotechnical applications and pipes for the water sector. Finally a number of more unusual or future possibilities are presented.

Modern structural applications of composite materials are dictated by the processing methods available. In this chapter, we introduce recent developments related to the manufacturing of composites in civil engineering applications using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding, pultrusion, and automated fiber placement.

The chapter begins by discussing a new type of sandwich panel called composite structural insulated panels (CSIPs) intended to replace the traditional SIPs that are made of wood-based materials. A detailed analytical modeling procedure is presented in order to determine the global buckling, interfacial tensile stress at facesheet/core debonding, critical wrinkling stress at facesheet/core debonding, equivalent stiffness, and deflection for CSIPs. The proposed models were validated using experimental results that have been conducted on full-scale CSIP walls and floor panels. In order to be used as a hazard-resistant material, a detailed section was presented to show the resistance of CSIP elements to the different types of hazard effects, including impact loading, floodwater effect, fire effect, and windstorm loading.

Strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) members using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites through external bonding has emerged as a viable technique to retrofit/repair deteriorated infrastructure. The interface between the FRP and concrete plays a critical role in this technique. This chapter discusses the analytical and experimental methods used to examine the integrity and long-term durability of this interface. Interface stress models, including the commonly adopted two-parameter elastic foundation model and a novel three-parameter elastic foundation model (3PEF) are first presented, which can be used as general tools to analyze and evaluate the design of the FRP strengthening system. Then two interface fracture models – linear elastic fracture mechanics and cohesive zone model – are established to analyze the potential and full debonding process of the FRP–concrete interface. Under the synergistic effects of the service loads and environments species, the FRP–concrete interface experiences deterioration, which may reduce its long-term durability. A novel experimental method, environment-assisted subcritical debonding testing, is then introduced to evaluate this deteriorating process. The existing small cracks along the FRP–concrete interface can grow slowly even if the mechanical load is lower than the critical value. This slow-crack growth process is known as environment-assisted subcritical cracking. A series of subcritical cracking tests are conducted using a wedge-driven test setup t o gain the ability to accurately predict the long-term durability of the FRP–concrete interface.