Effect of Different Constituent Fiber, Resin, and Sizing Combinations on Alkaline Resistance of Basalt, Carbon, and Glass FRP Bars
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 24, Issue 3
Abstract
When used as an internal reinforcement, fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) composite bars are exposed to a highly alkaline (pH > 12.5) concrete environment. This study evaluated the durability of 24 types of FRP bars in a simulated alkaline concrete environment, specifically with respect to reinforcing-fiber type (carbon, basalt, and glass), fiber sizing, resin chemistry, and manufacturer. A total of 10 types of glass fibers, including two types of E-glass fibers and eight types of electrical corrosion resistance (ECR)-glass fibers, four types of basalt fibers, two types of carbon fibers, six types of resin systems based on vinyl ester, polyurethane, and epoxy resins, and five types of proprietary fiber sizings were used in manufacturing the bars. The study focused on assessing the tensile, transverse-shear, and interlaminar-shear properties of FRP bars subjected to 3 months of accelerated alkaline conditioning at 60°C, as per Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The strength retention and failure of these bars were evaluated as a measurement of the durability and long-term performance of the FRP bars currently available on the market and for quality control by manufacturers. Statistical analysis using independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance revealed that the manufacturing parameters have a significant effect on the mechanical characteristics and alkaline resistance of FRP bars. In particular, the results show that the FRP bars manufactured with the same parameters and fiber types but by different fiber manufacturers with different fiber sizings and resin systems produced bars with totally different strength properties and durability performance in an alkaline environment. Vinyl ester resin and silane-sized fiber was the most compatible resin system and produced a more durable glass-FRP bar, while the epoxy resin yielded more durable basalt- and carbon-FRP bars. This paper also describes a procedure for and a criterion of the optimum manufacturing parameters to achieve specific mechanical properties and durability performance with FRP bars.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their special thanks and gratitude to the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Research Chair in Advanced FRP Composite Materials for Civil Structures, the NSERC Research Chair in FRP Reinforcement for Concrete Infrastructure, and the Fonds de la recherche du Québec en nature et technologies (FRQ-NT) for their financial support and Pultrall Inc. (Thetford Mines, Quebec) for providing the material constituents and manufacturing the FRP bars for the test program. The authors would like to thank the technical staff at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, Quebec) for their assistance in testing the FRP specimens.
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Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 24 • Issue 3 • June 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2019
Accepted: Sep 19, 2019
Published online: Mar 26, 2020
Published in print: Jun 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Aug 26, 2020
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