Statistical Characterization of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Material Properties for Structural Design
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 8
Abstract
A consistent basis for statistically reducing fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite material property test data for load and resistance factor design (LRFD) of composite structures is developed in this paper. A two-parameter Weibull probability distribution is recommended for modeling both strength and stiffness properties. Consistent with practice for other materials used in structural engineering applications, the 5-percentile value of strength of coupons and components, as well as modulus values, appropriately adjusted for the small size of typical data samples, is recommended for the nominal value of strength for LRFD applications. Statistical uncertainty due to small sample size in the data reduction process is accounted for through the use of a data confidence factor, which is the tolerance limit defined as the 80th percent lower confidence level of the 5-percentile value of the population. With the nominal values so determined, appropriate resistance factors for LRFD-based design codes can be derived and limits for qualification and acceptance criteria for FRP composite structural products can be established.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under Contract No. DTFH61-00C-00022. Mr. Eric Munley served as the Contracting Officer Technical Representative for FHWA. Additional funds were provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Univ. of Tennessee. The support from all of these organizations is gratefully acknowledged. The results presented herein represent the views of the writers and not those of the sponsors.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 8 • August 2006
Pages: 1320 - 1327
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 12, 2005
Accepted: Sep 15, 2005
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Shahram Sarkani
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