Progressive Failure and Ductility of FRP Composites for Construction: Review
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 17, Issue 3
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of and observations on progressive failure and ductility of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites of interest to civil and infrastructure construction applications. The primary reason for this is that although FRP composites have over the last 25 years successfully penetrated niche markets in civil engineering applications, one of the most frequently heard concerns from designers is their discomfort with the ductility of these composites and the structures built or reinforced with them, and that if the market for FRP applications in construction is to be expanded, the community must address this issue in greater depth. One approach is to use systemwide, structural, progressive failure behavior of the composite material itself to dissipate internal strain energy in lieu of the elastoplastic behavior of metallic materials. Specific applications of FRP composites in construction where progressive failure mechanisms have been considered are reviewed. These include FRP profiles, FRP frame connections, FRP reinforcing bars, externally bonded FRP or mechanically fastened FRP strengthening strips, and FRP column wraps.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The author’s work reported in this review paper has been supported by grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts from the U.S. National Science Foundation (MSM 8896265, MSM 9015502, CMS-9713566, CMS-9896074), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DTFH61-92-X00012, DTFH61-95-X00024, DTRS57-98-C00080, DTRS57-01-C10054), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (DACA39-99-K-0001, DACA42-00-P-0364, DACA42-02-P-0064). The author thanks program managers Ken Chong, Jack Scalzi (dec.), Martin Hargrave, James Ray, and Gerardo Velazquez for their support over many years, and his numerous graduate students and colleagues who collaborated on the research reported.
References
Al-Zahrani, M. M., Al-Dulaijan, S. U., Nanni, A., Bakis, C. E., and Boothby, T. E. (1999). “Evaluation of bond using FRP rods with axisymmetric deformations.” Constr. Build. Mater., 13(6), 299–309.
American Composites Manufactures Association. (2012). “Pre-standard for load & resistance factor design (LRFD) of pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) structures.” 〈http://www.acmanet.org/cgi-committees/pultrusion-industry-council〉 (Mar. 14, 2013).
American Concrete Institute (ACI). (2008). “Guide for the design and construction of externally bonded FRP systems for strengthening concrete structures.”, Farmington Hills, MI.
Anderson, J. (2007). “Fiber wrapped concrete cylinder compression tests.”, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Anggawidjaja, D., Ueda, T., Dai, J., and Nakai, H. (2006). “Deformation capacity of RC piers wrapped by new fiber-reinforced polymer with large fracture strain.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 28(10), 914–927.
ASCE Task Committee on Design of the Structural Plastics Research Council of the Technical Council on Research. (1984). Structural plastics design manual, Manual No. 63, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Bakis, C. E., Engel, R. S., Nanni, A., and Croyle, M. G. (1997). “FRP grid design and testing.” Non-metallic (FRP) reinforcement for concrete structures, Vol. 2, Japan Concrete Institute, Tokyo, 591–598.
Bakis, C. E., Nanni, A., Terosky, J. A., and Koehler, S. W. (2001). “Self-monitoring, pseudo-ductile, hybrid FRP reinforcement rods for concrete applications.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 61(6), 815–823.
Bank, L. C. (2006). Composites for construction: Structural design with FRP materials, Wiley, New York.
Bank, L. C., and Arora, D. (2007). “Analysis and design of RC beams with mechanically fastened FRP (MF-FRP) strips.” Compos. Struct., 79(2), 180–191.
Bank, L. C., Frostig, Y., and Shapira, A. (1997). “Three-dimensional fiber-reinforced plastic grating cages for concrete beams: A pilot study.” ACI Struct. J., 94(6), 643–652.
Bank, L. C., and Gentry, T. R. (2001). “Development of a pultruded composite material highway guardrail.” Compos. Appl. Sci. Manuf., 32(9), 1329–1338.
Bank, L. C., Mosallam, A. S., and McCoy, G. T. (1994a). “Design and performance of connections for pultruded frame structures.” J. Reinforc. Plast. Compos., 13(3), 199–212.
Bank, L. C., Nadipelli, M., and Gentry, T. R. (1994b). “Local buckling and failure of pultruded fiber-reinforced plastic beams.” J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 116(2), 233–237.
Bank, L. C., and Ozel, M. (1999). “Shear failure of concrete beams reinforced with 3-D fiber reinforced plastic grids.” Proc. of the Fourth Int. Symp.—Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Reinforced Concrete Structures, C. W. Dolan, S. H. Rizkalla and A. Nanni, eds., SP-188, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 145–156.
Bank, L. C., Puterman, M., and Katz, A. (1998). “The effect of material degradation on bond properties of fiber reinforced plastic reinforcing bars in concrete.” ACI Mater. J., 95(3), 232–243.
Bank, L. C., and Yin, J. (1999). “Analysis of progressive failure of the web-flange junction in post-buckled pultruded I-beams.” J. Compos. Constr., 3(4), 177–184.
Belarbi, A., Chandrashekhara, K., and Watkins, S. E. (1996). “Smart composite rebars with enhanced ductility.” Engineering Mechanics, Proc. of the 11th Conf., Y. K. Lin and T. C. Su, eds., ASCE, New York, 788–791.
Bentur, A., and Mindess, S. (2006). Fiber reinforced cementitious composites, 2nd Ed., Taylor & Francis, New York.
Bisagni, C. (2009). “Experimental investigation of the collapse modes and energy absorption characteristics of composite tubes.” Int. J. Crashworthiness, 14(4), 365–378.
Brown, V. L., et al. (2011). “Experimental studies of mechanically-fastened FRP systems: State-of-the-Art.” Proc. of the 10th Symp. on FRP in Reinforced Concrete Structures—FRPRCS10 (CD-ROM), SP-275, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI.
Burgoyne, C. J. (1993). “Should FRP be bonded to concrete?” Fiber-Reinforced-Plastic Reinforcement for Concrete Structures—Int. Symp., American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 367–380.
Burgoyne, C. J. (1997). “Rational use of advanced composites in concrete.” Non-metallic reinforcement for concrete structures, Vol. 1, Japan Concrete Institute, Tokyo, 75–88.
Buyukozturk, O., Gunes, O., and Karaca, E. (2004). “Progress on understanding debonding problems in reinforced concrete and steel members strengthened using FRP composites.” Constr. Build. Mater., 18(1), 9–19.
Charoenphan, S., Bank, L. C., and Plesha, M. E. (2004a). “Progressive tearing failure in pultruded composite material tubes.” Compos. Struct., 63(1), 45–52.
Charoenphan, S., Plesha, M. E., and Bank, L. C. (2004b). “Simulation of crack growth in composite material shell structures.” Int. J. Numer. Meth. Eng., 60(14), 2399–2417.
Cheon, S. S., Choi, J. H., and Lee, D. G. (1995). “Development of the composite bumper beam for passenger cars.” Compos. Struct., 32(1–4), 491–499.
Choi, H. T., West, J. S., and Soudki, K. A. (2008). “Analysis of the flexural behavior of partially bonded FRP strengthened concrete beams.” J. Compos. Constr., 12(4), 375–386.
Clark, J. L., ed. (1996). Structural design of polymer composites—EUROCOMP design code and handbook, E&FN Spon, London, UK.
Czaplicki, M. J., Robertson, R. E., and Thornton, P. H. (1991). “Comparison of bevel and tulip triggered pultruded tubes for energy absorption.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 40(1), 31–46.
Dai, J.-G., Lam, L., and Ueda, T. (2012). “Seismic retrofit of square RC columns with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre reinforced polymer composites.” Constr. Build. Mater., 27(1), 206–217.
Desjardins, S. P. (2006). “The evolution of energy absorption systems for crashworthy helicopter seats.” J. Am. Helicopter Soc., 51(2), 150–163.
Dutta, P. K. (1998). “Investigations of plastic composite materials for highway safety structures.”, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH.
El-Hacha, R., Wight, R. G., and Green, M. F. (2004). “Prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer sheets for strengthening concrete beams at room and low temperatures.” J. Compos. Constr., 8(1), 3–13.
Elsayed, W. E., Ebead, U. A., and Neale, K. W. (2009). “Studies on mechanically fastened fiber-reinforced polymer strengthening systems.” ACI Struct. J., 106(1), 49–59.
Engel, R. S., Croyle, M. G., Bakis, C. E., and Nanni, A. (1999). “Deflection of reinforced concrete beams reinforced by fiber reinforced polymer grids with various joint designs.” Fiber reinforced polymer reinforcement for concrete structures (FRPRCS-4), American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 75–85.
European Committee for Standardization (CEN). (2002). “Reinforced plastic composites: Specifications for pultruded profiles, parts 1-3.”, Brussels, Belgium.
Farley, G. L. (1983). “Energy absorption of composite materials.”, Structures Laboratory, U.S. Army Research and Technology Laboratories (AVRADCOM), Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA.
Farley, G. L. (1986). “Effect of specimen geometry on the energy absorption capability of composite materials.” J. Compos. Mater., 20(4), 390–400.
Farley, G. L., Boitnott, R. L., and Carden, H. D. (1988). “Helicopter crashworthiness research program.” NASA Conf. Publication CP-2495, Vol. 2, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC, 606–655.
Farley, G. L., and Jones, R. M. (1992). “Prediction of the energy-absorption capability of composite tubes.” J. Compos. Mater., 26(3), 388–404.
Fyfe, E. (1994). “New concept for wrapping columns with a high strength fiber/epoxy system.” Proc. of the Third Materials Engineering Conf., ASCE, Reston, VA, 1156–1162.
Grace, N. F., Ragheb, W. F., and Abdel-Sayed, G. (2003). “Flexural and shear strengthening of concrete beams using new triaxially braided ductile fabric.” ACI Struct. J., 100(6), 804–814.
Harris, H. G., Somboonsong, W., and Frank, K. K. (1998). “New ductile hybrid FRP reinforcement bar for concrete structures.” J. Compos. Constr., 2(1), 28–37.
Hu, D. Y., Luo, M., and Yang, J. L. (2010). “Experimental study on crushing characteristics of brittle fibre/epoxy hybrid composite tubes.” Int. J. Crashworthiness, 15(4), 401–412.
Hull, D. (1991). “A unified approach to progressive crushing of fibre-reinforced composite tubes.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 40(4), 377–421.
Jacob, G. C., Fellers, J. F., Starbuck, J. M., and Simunovic, S. (2004). “Crashworthiness of automotive composite material systems.” J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 92(5), 3218–3225.
Jensen, R. E., and McKnight, S. H. (2006). “Inorganic–organic fiber sizings for enhanced energy absorption in glass fiber-reinforced composites intended for structural applications.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 66(3–4), 509–521.
Johnson, A. F., and David, M. (2010). “Failure mechanisms in energy-absorbing composite structures.” Phil. Mag., 90(31–32), 4245–4261.
Kalfat, R., Al-Mahaidi, R., and Smith, S. T. (2013). “Anchorage devices used to improve the performance of reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with FRP composites: State-of-the-art review.” J. Compos. Constr., 17(1), 14–33.
Karbhari, V. M., and Gao, Y. (1997). “Composite jacketed concrete under uniaxial compression—Verification of simple design equations.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 9(4), 185–193.
Karbhari, V. M., and Hailer, J. E. (1998). “Rate and architecture effects on progressive crush of braided tubes.” Compos. Struct., 43(2), 93–108.
Katsumata, H., Kobatake, Y., and Takeda, T. (1988). “A study on strengthening with carbon fiber for earthquake-resistant capacity of existing reinforced concrete columns.” Proc. of Ninth World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 7, Japan Association for Earthquake Disaster Prevention, Tokyo, Japan, 517–522.
Kotynia, R., Walendziak, R., Stoecklin, I., and Urs Meier, U. (2011). “RC slabs strengthened with prestressed and gradually anchored CFRP strips under monotonic and cyclic loading.” J. Compos. Constr., 15(2), 168–180.
Lamanna, A. J., Bank, L. C., and Scott, D. W. (2001). “Flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete beams using fasteners and fiber-reinforced polymer strips.” ACI Struct. J., 98(3), 368–376.
Lees, J. M., and Burgoyne, C. J. (1999). “Experimental study of influence of bond on flexural behavior of concrete beams pretensioned with aramid fiber reinforced plastics.” ACI Struct. J., 96(3), 377–385.
Lees, J. M., and Burgoyne, C. J. (2000). “Analysis of concrete beams with partially bonded composite reinforcement.” ACI Struct. J., 97(2), 252–258.
Lin, K. H., and Mase, G. T. (1990). “An assessment of add-on energy absorbing devices for vehicle crashworthiness.” J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 112(4), 406–411.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., and Demosthenous, G. A. (1992). “Crushing behaviour of thin-walled, non-circular, glass fibre-reinforced composite tubular components due to bending.” Composites, 23(6), 425–433.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., Demosthenous, G. A., and Ioannidis, M. B. (1995). “The deformation mechanism of thin-walled non-circular composite tubes subjected to bending.” Compos. Struct., 30(2), 131–146.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., Ioannidis, M. B., and Papapostolou, D. P. (2004). “Crashworthy characteristics of axially statically compressed thin-walled square CFRP composite tubes: Experimental.” Compos. Struct., 63(3–4), 347–360.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., Ioannidis, M. B., and Papapostolou, D. P. (2005). “On the experimental investigation of crash energy absorption in laminate splaying collapse mode of FRP tubular components.” Compos. Struct., 70(4), 413–429.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., Ioannidis, M. B., and Papapostolou, D. P. (2006). “The static and dynamic axial collapse of CFRP square tubes: Finite element modeling.” Compos. Struct., 74(2), 213–225.
Mamalis, A. G., Manolakos, D. E., Viegelahn, G. L., and Baldoukas, A. K. (1990). “Bending of fibre-reinforced thin-walled tubes.” Composites, 21(5), 431–438.
McGregor, C. J., Vaziri, R., Poursartip, A., and Xiao, X. (2007). “Simulation of progressive damage development in braided composite tubes under axial compression.” Compos. Appl. Sci. Manuf., 38(11), 2247–2259.
Mertens, K. O. (2003). “Experimental studies of the progressive tearing failure of pultruded FRP tubes in flexure.” M.S. thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Mertens, K. O., Bank, L. C., and Plesha, M. E. (2001). “Experimental studies of the progressive tearing failure of pultruded FRP composite tubes in flexure.” Proc. of the 16th Technical Conf. of the American Society for Composites (CD-ROM), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Mirmiran, A., and Shahawy, M. (1997). “Behavior of concrete columns confined by fiber composites.” J. Struct. Eng., 123(5), 583–590.
Mosallam, A. S., and Bank, L. C. (1992). “Short term behavior of a pultruded fiber reinforced plastic frame.” J. Struct. Eng., 118(7), 1937–1954.
Motavalli, M., Czaderski, C., and Pfyl-Lang, K. (2011). “Prestressed CFRP for strengthening of reinforced concrete structures: Recent developments at EMPA, Switzerland.” J. Compos. Constr., 15(2), 194–205.
Mottram, J. T. (1991). “Evaluation of design analysis for pultruded fibre-reinforced polymeric box beams.” Struct. Eng., 69(11), 211–220.
Mottram, J. T., and Turvey, G. J. (2003). “Physical test data for the appraisal of design procedures for bolted joints in pultruded FRP structural shapes and systems.” Progr. Struct. Eng. Mater., 5(4), 195–222.
Mottram, J. T., and Zafari, B. (2011). “Pin-bearing strengths for bolted connections in fibre-reinforced polymer structures.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Struct. Build., 164(5), 291–305.
Mufti, A. A., Newhook, J. P., and Tadros, G. (1996). “Deformability versus ductility in concrete beams with FRP reinforcement.” Proc., Second Int. Conf. on Advanced Composite Materials in Bridges and Structures (ACMBS 2), Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Montreal, QC, 189–199.
Naaman, A. E., and Jeong, S. M. (1995). “Structural ductility of concrete beams prestressed with FRP tendons.” Second RILEM Int. Conf. on FRP Reinforcements for Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-2), E & FN Spon, London, UK, 379–386.
Nardone, F., Lignola, G. P., Prota, A., Manfredi, G., and Nanni, A. (2011). “Modeling of flexural behavior of RC beams strengthened with mechanically fastened FRP strips.” Compos. Struct., 93(8), 1973–1985.
National Research Council of Italy (CNR). (2008). “Guide for the design and construction of structures made of thin FRP pultruded elements.”, Rome.
Ozel, M. (2002). “Behavior of concrete beams reinforced with 3-D fiber reinforced plastic grids.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Ozel, M., and Bank, L. C. (2001). “Behavior of concrete beams reinforced with 3-D composite grids.” Proc. of the 16th Technical Conf. of the American Society for Composites (CD-ROM), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Pafitis, D. G., and Hull, D. (1991). “Design of fiber composite conical components for energy absorbing structures.” SAMPE J., 27, 29–34.
Palanivelu, S., et al. (2010a). “Experimental study on the axial crushing behaviour of pultruded composite tubes.” Polym. Test., 29(2), 224–234.
Palanivelu, S., et al. (2010b). “Parametric study of crushing parameters and failure patterns of pultruded composite tubes using cohesive elements and seam, part I: Central delamination and triggering modeling.” Polym. Test., 29(6), 729–741.
Palanivelu, S., et al. (2010c). “Parametric study of crushing parameters and failure patterns of pultruded composite tubes using cohesive elements and seam: Part II—Multiple delaminations and initial geometric imperfections.” Polym. Test., 29(7), 803–814.
Palmer, D. W., Bank, L. C., and Gentry, T. R. (1998). “Progressive tearing failure of pultruded composite box beams: Experiment and simulation.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 58(8), 1353–1359.
Priestley, M. J. N., and Seible, F. (1995). “Design of seismic retrofit measures for concrete and masonry structures.” Constr. Build. Mater., 9(6), 365–377.
Priestley, M. J. N., Seible, F., and Fyfe, E. (1992). “Column strengthening using fibreglass/epoxy jackets.” Advanced composite materials in bridges and structures, K. W. Neale and P. Labossiere, eds., Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, Montreal, 287–298.
Rosner, C. N., and Rizkalla, S. H. (1995). “Bolted connections for fiber-reinforced composite structural members: Analytical model and design recommendations.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 7(4), 232–238.
Schmueser, D. W., and Wickliffe, L. E. (1987). “Impact energy absorption of continuous fiber composite tubes.” J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 109(1), 72–77.
Seible, F., Priestley, J. N., Hegemeier, G. A., and Innamorato, D. (1997). “Seismic retrofit of RC columns with continuous carbon fiber jackets.” J. Compos. Constr., 1(2), 52–62.
Sigalas, I., Kumosa, M., and Hull, D. (1991). “Trigger mechanisms in energy absorbing glass cloth composite tubes.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 40(3), 265–287.
Spadea, G., Bencardino, F., and Swamy, R. N. (1998). “Structural behavior of composite RC beams with externally bonded CFRP.” J. Compos. Constr., 2(3), 132–137.
Smith, S. T., and Teng, J. G. (2003). “Shear-bending interaction in debonding failures of FRP-plated RC beams.” Adv. Struct. Eng., 6(3), 183–199.
Tavarez, F. A., Bank, L. C., and Plesha, M. E. (2003). “Analysis of fiber-reinforced polymer composite grid reinforced concrete beams.” ACI Struct. J., 100(2), 250–258.
Teng, J. G., Chen, J. F., Smith, S. T., and Lam, L. (2002). FRP strengthened RC structures, Wiley, New York.
Thornton, P. H. (1979). “Energy absorption in composite structures.” J. Compos. Mater., 13(3), 247–262.
Thornton, P. H. (1990). “The crush behavior of pultruded tubes at high-strain rates.” J. Compos. Mater., 24(6), 594–615.
Thornton, P. H., Haewood, J. J., and Beardmore, P. (1985). “Fiber-reinforced plastic composites for energy absorption purposes.” Compos. Sci. Technol., 24(4), 275–298.
Thornton, P. H., and Jeryan, R. A. (1988). “Crash energy management in composite automotive structures.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 7(2), 167–180.
Turvey, G. J., and Wang, P. (2009). “Environmental effects on the failure of GRP multi-bolt joints.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Struct. Build., 162(SB4), 275–287.
Turvey, G. J., and Zhang, Y. (2005). “Tearing failure of web–flange junctions in pultruded GRP profiles.” Compos. Appl. Sci. Manuf., 36(2), 309–317.
Turvey, G. J., and Zhang, Y. (2006). “Shear failure strength of web–flange junctions in pultruded GRP WF profiles.” Constr. Build. Mater., 20(1–2), 81–89.
Wang, H., and Belarbi, A. (2005). “Flexural behavior of fiber-reinforced-concrete beams reinforced with FRP rebars.” Proc. of the 7th Symp. on FRP in Reinforced Concrete Structures—FRPRCS7, SP-230, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 895–914.
Wu, Y.-F., and Huang, Y. (2008). “Hybrid bonding of FRP to reinforced concrete structures.” J. Compos. Constr., 12(3), 266–273.
Wu, Y.-F., Zhou, Y.-W., and He, X.-Q. (2010). “Performance-based optimal design of compression-yielding FRP-reinforced concrete beams.” Compos. Struct., 93(1), 113–123.
Wu, Z., Shao, Y., Iwashita, K., and Sakamoto, K. (2007). “Strengthening of preloaded RC beams using hybrid carbon sheets.” J. Compos. Constr., 11(3), 299–307.
Yang, Y., Nakai, A., and Hamada, H. (2009). “A method to improve the energy absorption capability of fibre-reinforced composite tubes.” Int. J. Crashworthiness, 14(4), 315–322.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 17 • Issue 3 • June 2013
Pages: 406 - 419
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 3, 2012
Accepted: Dec 19, 2012
Published online: Dec 21, 2012
Published in print: Jun 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.