FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMER

WRAP

Fiber-reinforced polymer, FRP is a composite material containing

fibers in a polymer matrix. The FRP is typically applied with an epoxy resin.
The epoxy resin is used to combine the fibers and connect the wrap with
the structural member. The reinforcement system works together as a
cohesive unit, and if one part of the fiber is weak, the entire system will
have a brittle failure as a result. The advantages of the FRP wrap are many.
These include increased concrete confinement, corrosion resistance, high
specific strength, and durability.

Fiber-reinforced polymer is a composite material that consists of a

polymer matrix with fiber reinforcement. Glass and Carbon are common
fibers while the polymer is typically an epoxy resin.

The polymer is placed on the concrete surface, and then the FRP is
wrapped around the column or beam. In wet-application, fibers are soaked
in wet resin or polymer before FRP application.

The polymer helps to connect the fibers of the wrap together while also
making a strong connection with the surface of the concrete. The
composite’s properties are mainly influenced by the choice of fibres.

In civil engineering three types of fibres dominate. These are carbon,

glass, and aramid fibres(heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers) and the
composite is often named by the reinforcing fibre, e.g. CFRP for Carbon
Fibre Reinforced Polymer.

They have different properties, including price, which make one, more
suitable then the other for different purposes. For strengthening purposes
carbon fibres are the most suitable and will therefore be focused on in the
following. All fibres have generally higher stress capacity than ordinary steel

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and are linear elastic until failure. The most important properties that differ
between the fibre types are stiffness and tensile strain.

Carbon
Carbon fibres have a high modulus of elasticity, 200 – 800 GPa. The
ultimate elongation is 0.3 – 2.5 % where the lower elongation corresponds
to the higher stiffness and vice versa. Carbon fibres do not absorb water
and are resistant to many chemical solutions. They withstand fatigue
excellently, do not stress corrode and do not show any creep or relaxation,
having less relaxation compared to low relaxation high tensile prestressing
steel strands. Carbon fibre is electrically conductive and, therefore, might
give galvanic corrosion in direct contact with steel.

Glass
Glass fibres are considerably cheaper than carbon fibres and aramid fibres.
Therefore glass fibre composites have become popular in many
applications, the boat industry for instance. The moduli of the fibres are 70
– 85 GPa with ultimate elongation of 2 –5 % depending on quality. Glass
fibres are sensitive to stress corrosion at high stress levels and may have
problems with relaxation. Glass fibres are sensitive to moisture, but with
the correct choice of matrix the fibres are protected.

Aramid
Aramid is short for aromatic polyamide(polyaramids based on p-
phenylenediamine and terephthalic acid). A well-known trademark of
aramid fibres is Kevlar but there exist other brands too, e.g. Twaron,
Technora, and SVM. The moduli of the fibres are 70 – 200 GPa with
ultimate elongation of 1.5 – 5 % depending on quality. Aramid has high
fracture energy and is therefore used for helmets and Bullet-proof
garments. Aramid fibres are sensitive to elevated temperatures, moisture
and ultra violet radiation and are therefore not widely used in civil
engineering applications. Further, aramid fibres do have problems with
relaxation and stress corrosion.

Matrices
The matrix should transfer forces between the fibres and protect the fibres
from the environment. In civil engineering, thermosetting resins
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(thermosets) are almost exclusively used. Of the thermosets vinylester and
epoxy are the most common matrices. Epoxy is mostly favoured above
vinylester but is also more costly. Epoxy has a pot life around 30 minutes at
20 degree Celcius but can be changed with different formulations. The
curing goes faster with increased temperature. Epoxies have good strength,
bond, creep properties, and chemical resistance.

Composites
When the fibre and the matrix (epoxy or polyester) are combined into a
new material it becomes a composite. The fibres may be placed in one
direction in the composites and then the composite is unidirectional.
However, fibres may also be woven or bonded in many directions and the
composite becomes bi or multi directional. For strengthening purposes it is
most common to use unidirectional composites and those will be studied in
the following.
An FRP system wrapped around a column provides passive
reinforcement to the column. As the concrete member is loaded axially, the
FRP reinforcement system provides little or no effect on strength increase
to the confined concrete initially. However, once the concrete dilates and
begins to crack and weaken, the FRP reinforcement provides confinement
for the concrete. The main advantage of the FRP system is the amount of
confinement that it provides. The enveloping wrap or tube provides more
confinement than a longitudinal or spirally wrapped steel rebar.

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 APPLICATIONS OF FRP WRAP

CONCRETE BEAMS
Concrete beams can be strengthened for both shear and flexural
forces, using epoxy bonded FRP fabrics or laminates. When flexural
strengthening is needed, the FRP is bonded to the tension face. When shear
strengthening is required, the FRP is bonded to the web of the beam.
 Increases Flexural Strength
 Increases Shear Strength
 Does Not Reduce Overhead Clearance
 Light Weight And Easy To Apply
 Costs Less Than Other Alternatives

STEEL BEAMS
FRPs can be used to increase the strength of steel girders; they can
also be used to repair cracked steel girders by bonding a strip of FRP across
the cracks. The most comprehensive static and fatigue studies in the world,
conducted by the principal of Carbon Wrap™ Solutions on strengthening of
steel girders, have demonstrated that full capacity of cracked girders can be
restored by bonding FRP to the cracked area. Millions of fatigue cycles of
the repaired girders showed no distress or delamination of the FRP from
the steel.
 Restores Full Capacity of Cracked Girders
 Increases Flexural Capacity
 Increases Fatigue Life
 Increases Stiffness
 Eliminates Stress Concentration due to Welding

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  Costs Less Than Other Alternatives

WOOD BEAMS
The flexural and shear strength of wood girders can be increased by
bonding FRP to the tension flange and the web of the girders. If the wood
can be fully wrapped around with the FRP sheet, its compression load
carrying capacity can also be increased due to confinement.
 Increases Shear Capacity
 Increases flexural Capacity
 Reduces Deflection
 Protects Wood from Environmental Damage

CONCRETE COLUMNS
The most widely used application for FRPs in construction, thus far, has
been the wrapping of concrete columns to increase both ductility and
strength. Due to the beneficial effects of confinement, the column ductility
can be significantly increased. In addition, FRP wrap helps to make up for
inadequate amount or improperly detailed lateral ties and increases the
shear strength of the columns significantly. The problem with inadequate
starter bars lap length can also be mitigated by wrapping the columns with
FRP.

 Increases Ductility
 Increases Shear Strength
 Increases Axial Load Carrying Capacity
 Light Weight and Easy to Install
 Can be Wrapped Along Columns with Varying Cross Sectional
Patterns
 Costs Less Than Alternatives Such as Steel Jacketing

STEEL COLUMNS

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CarbonWrap™ Solutions has developed a very intriguing, highly effective
and economical system for strengthening hollow tubular columns. The
technique involves inserting a specially designed flexible FRP tube inside
the column and filling it with a compatible polymer concrete mixture. In
this manner, a reinforced concrete column is developed inside the existing
tubular steel column, where the FRP acts as the tension carrying
reinforcement and the polymer concrete takes the compression forces.
Thousands of columns have been strengthened with this method during the
past couple of years.

 Increases Axial Load Carrying Capacity

 Increases Flexural Strength
 Increases Shear Strength
 Eliminated corrosion Problems
 Costs Less Than Alternatives

CONCRETE SLABS
The same principle that is used to increase the flexural strength of concrete
beams can also be used to increase the flexural strength of concrete slabs.
FRP fabrics or laminates are simply bonded to the bottom surface of slabs
(positive moment regions) or to the top of the slab (negative moment
regions) to significantly increase the flexural capacity of the slab.

 Increases Flexural Strength

 Reduces Deflections
 Light weight and Easy to Apply
 Protects Slab From Further Environmental Damage
 Costs Less Than Alternatives

REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPES

The most effective and economical application of FRPs in construction, as
compared to conventional techniques, is the strengthening of buried pipes.
Reinforced concrete pipes can be strengthened to take pressures even
greater than that of their original design value, at a fraction of the cost and
time of other alternatives. The main advantage of this technique is that
excavation can be completely eliminated. In the case of 3-foot or larger

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diameter pipes, simple access is made through the manholes, and all
operations will be conducted internally. If the pipe can be accessed from
the outside, the wrapping can be performed on the external face of the
pipe, resulting in the same benefits.

 Requires no excavation
 Increases pipe strength to even higher than its original pressure
rating
 Access only through manholes
 Creates a very smooth surface and Improves pipe flow significantly
 FRP wrap inside the pipe is about one eighth of an inch thick --> it
does not reduce the inner diameter and flow volume of the pipe
 Light weight - requires no heavy equipment for installation
 Materials are very durable and approved by the National Sanitary
Foundation (NSF)
 Cost far less than alternatives and results in speedy construction

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE CYLINDER PIPES

Nationwide, there have been many instances of the failure of PCCP pipes
due to the corrosion of restressing wires. One of the most effective and
economical applications of FRPs in construction has been in the
strengthening of buried PCCP pipes. PCCP pipes can be strengthened to
take pressures even greater than that of their original design value, at a
fraction of the cost and time of other alternatives. The main advantage of
this technique is that excavation can be eliminated. In the case of 3-foot or
larger diameter pipes, simple access is made through the manholes, and all
operations will be conducted internally. Carbon Wrap™ Solutions is a
leading firm in retrofitting of PCCP pipe. If the pipe can be accessed from
the outside, the wrapping can be performed on the external face of the
pipe, resulting in the same benefits.

 Requires no excavation
 Increases pipe strength to even higher than its original pressure
rating
 Access only through manholes

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  Creates a very smooth surface and Improves pipe flow significantly
 FRP wrap inside the pipe is about one eighth of an inch thick --> it
does not reduce the inner diameter and flow volume of the pipe
 Light weight - requires no heavy equipment for installation
 Materials are very durable. Cost far less than alternatives and results
in speedy construction

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