Effect of Rubber Toughening Modification on the Tensile Behavior of FRP Composites in Concrete-Based Alkaline Environment
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 12
Abstract
This study focuses on the tensile behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in a concrete-based alkaline environment. Because basalt/glass FRP (BFRP/GFRP) composites exhibit relatively poor alkaline resistance compared with carbon FRP (CFRP) composites, a rubber toughening modification method has been proposed to mitigate microcracking and decrease the diffusion of the alkaline solution in the resin matrix. Different proportions of liquid rubber toughening agents were added into the epoxy resin, on the basis of which different FRP composites were made and then subjected to tensile tests after alkaline exposure. Test results indicated that the rubber toughening modification approach can significantly reduce the tensile strength degradation of the BFRP and GFRP composites in the alkaline solution. Moreover, no degradation of the elastic modulus for the FRP composites was observed. The weight gain and microstructure of the FRP composites were also investigated before and after the alkaline exposure to determine the corrosion mechanisms of the FRP composites in the alkaline environment and interpret the mechanical test results.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the financial support received from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2012CB026200), Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation (No. BK2010015), open project of Key Laboratory of Concrete and Prestressed Concrete Structures of the Ministry of Education, Southeast University (No. CPCSME2014-01), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2015B00814).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 12 • December 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 28, 2014
Accepted: Mar 11, 2015
Published online: Apr 30, 2015
Discussion open until: Sep 30, 2015
Published in print: Dec 1, 2015
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