Durability of the Bond between CFRP Plates and Concrete Exposed to Harsh Environments
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 9
Abstract
Strengthening and retrofitting structural members using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials has gained wide acceptance in the civil engineering community because of their superior mechanical properties, light weight, corrosion resistance, and ease of use. Numerous structural reinforced concrete (RC) members have been strengthened with externally-bonded CFRP plates using epoxy adhesives that produce an increase in their load-carrying capacities. However, there are some uncertainties regarding the durability of the bond between the concrete and FRP interfaces when subjected to severe environmental exposure. Most strengthening applications are exposed to outdoor conditions and hence durability under aggressive environments must be considered. This is the subject of this investigation. Several CFRP-concrete prisms have been subjected to several sets of environmental exposure conditions and preloaded with 3 and 5 kN of sustained loading, amounting to approximately 15 and 25% of ultimate load, respectively. Site exposure conditions were an actual marine environment and a seawater splash zone, including direct exposure to sunlight with the associated Ultra Violet (UV). Both exposures were conducted in a well-controlled atmosphere that lasted for more than 150 days (3,600 h). The experimental program consisted of 27 specimens divided among the two exposures and some laboratory control specimens as benchmarks. The specimens were subjected to sustained loading during the whole course of the exposure. The change in ultimate bond characteristics between the externally-applied CFRP and the concrete because load and exposure conditions were used as measures of durability and performance effects. Single-lap shear tests were conducted on all specimens after exposure to failure of the specimens. It was observed that the specimens exposed to the sun and saline environments experienced an increase in both the bond strength and attained peak loads because exposure of the adhesive to elevated temperature increased the bond because of greater polymer crosslinking, thus creating complex interactions in the polymer matrix. The data obtained from this experimental investigation will add to the sound scientific data demanded by the ACI 440.2R-08 design guidelines.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the funding received from the Emirates Foundation and the support provided by the office of research and graduate studies of the American University of Sharjah to conduct this research. They also appreciate the support received from CONMIX Ltd., Sharjah.
References
Abanilla, M. A., Li, Y., and Karbhari, V. M. (2006). “Durability characterization of wet layup graphite/epoxy composites used in external strengthening.” J. Compos. Part B, 37(2–3), 200–212.
Abbas, B. (2010). “Durability of CFRP-concrete bond under sustained loading in harsh environments.” Ph.D. thesis, Monash Univ., Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
ACI. (2004). “Guide test methods for fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) for reinforcing or strengthening concrete structures.”, Farmington Hills, MI.
ACI. (2008). “Guide for the design and construction of externally bonded FRP systems for strengthening concrete structures.”, Farmington Hills, MI.
Al-Far, A., Rostary, F., Budelmann, H., and Hadid, T. A. (2007). “Durability of reinforced concrete members strengthened with CFRP plates and subjected to moisture and salt.” Proc., Fiber Reinforced Polymer for Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS)-8, T. C. Triantafillou, ed., Univ. of Patras, Patras, Greece.
Al-Tamimi, A., Hawileh, R., Abdalla, J. A., and Rasheed, H. (2011). “Effects of ratio of CFRP plate length to shear span and end anchorage on flexural behavior of SCC R/C beams.” J. Compos. Constr., 908–919.
Choi, S., Gartner, A., Etten, N., Hamilton, H., and Douglas, E. (2012). “Durability of concrete beams externally reinforced with CFRP composites exposed to various environments.” J. Compos. Constr., 10–20.
Dai, J., Yokota, H., Iwanami, M., and Kato, E. (2010). “Experimental investigation of the influence of moisture on the bond behavior of FRP to concrete interfaces.” J. Compos. Constr., 834–844.
Dejke, V. (2001). “Durability of FRB reinforcement in concrete-literature review and experiments.” Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden.
Ekenel, M., and Myers, J. (2007). “Durability performance of RC beams strengthened with epoxy injection and CFRP fabrics.” Constr. Build. Mater., 21(6), 1182–1190.
Ferrier, E., Bigaud, D., Hamelin, P., Bizindavyi, L., and Neale, K. W. (2005). “Fatigue of CFRPs externally bonded to concrete.” Mater. Struct. RILEM, 38(1), 39–46.
Ferrier, E., and Hamelin, P. (2002). “Long time concrete-composite interface characterization for reliability prediction of RC beam strengthened with FRP.” Mater. Struct. RILEM, 35(253), 564–572.
Fib Comité Euro-International du Béton-Fédération de l’Industrie du Béton (CEB-FIP). (2007). “FRP reinforcement in RC structures.”, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Gamage, J. C., Wong, M. B., and Al-Mahaidi, R. (2005). “Performance of CFRP strengthened concrete members under elevated temperature.” Proc., Int. Symp. Bond Behaviour of FRP in Structures (BBFS 2005), International Institute for FRP in Construction, Hong Kong, 113–118.
Gamage, K., Al-Mahaidi, R., and Wong, B. (2010). “FE modelling of CFRP-concrete interface subjected to cyclic temperature, humidity and mechanical stress.” Compos. Struct., 92(4), 826–834.
Gonenc, O. (2003). “Durability and service life prediction of concrete reinforcing materials.” M.Sc. thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Hamilton, H. R., III, and Dolan, C. W. (2000). “Durability of FRP reinforcements for concrete.” Prog. Struct. Eng. Mater., 2(2), 139–145.
Hawileh, R., Rasheed, H., Abdalla, J. A., and Tamimi, A. (2014). “Behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with externally bonded hybrid fiber reinforced polymer systems.” Mater. Des., 53, 972–982.
Helbling, C., Abanilla, M., Lee, L., and Karbhari, V. M. (2006). “Issues of variability and durability under synergistic exposure conditions related to advanced polymer composites in the civil infrastructure.” J. Compos. Part A, 37(8), 1102–1110.
Karbhari, V. M., et al. (2003). “Durability gap analysis for fibre-reinforced polymer composites in civil infrastructure.” J. Compos. Constr., 238–247.
Karbhari, V. M., and Abanilla, M. A. (2007). “Design factors, reliability, and durability prediction of wet layup carbon/epoxy used in external strengthening.” J. Compos. Part B, 38(1), 10–23.
Karbhari, V. M., and Zhao, L. (1998). “Issues related to composite plating and environmental exposure effects on composite-concrete interface in external strengthening.” Compos. Struct., 40(3–4), 293–304.
Kawada, H., Kobiki, A., Koyanagi, J., and Hosoi, A. (2005). “Long-term durability of polymer matrix composites under hostile environments.” Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 412(1–2), 159–164.
Krishnaswamy, R., and Lopez, M. (2006). “Time performance of concrete-CFRP bond under the effects of freeze-thaw cycles and sustained loading.” Transportation Research Board, 85th Annual Meeting, 06-0011, Compendium of Papers (CD-ROM), Washington, DC.
Lim, S. J., Choi, Y. J., Song, K. S., and Kim, D.-W. (2011). “Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells assembled by in-situ chemical cross-linking at ambient temperature.” Electrochem. Commun., 13(11), 1284–1287.
Malvar, L., Joshi, N., Beran, J., and Novinson, T. (2003). “Environmental effects on the short-term bond of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer CFRP composites.” J. Compos. Constr., 58–63.
Mazor, A., and Broutman, L. J. (1978). “Effect of long-term water exposure on properties of carbon and graphite fiber reinforced epoxies.” Polym. Eng. Sci., 18(5), 341–349.
Micelli, F., and Nanni, A. (2001). “Issues related to durability of FRP reinforcement for RC structures exposed to accelerated aging.” Proc., American Society of Composites 16th Annual Conf., M. W. Hyer and A. C. Loos, eds., Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 12.
Miyano, Y., and Nakada, M. (2006). “Time and temperature dependent fatigue strengths for three directions of unidirectional CFRP.” Exp. Mech., 46(2), 155–162.
Miyano, Y., Nakada, M., and Nishigaki, K. (2006). “Prediction of long-term fatigue life of quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates for aircraft use.” Int. J. Fatigue, 28(10), 1217–1225.
Myers, J. J., Murthy, S. S., and Micelli, F. (2001). “Effect of combined environmental cycles on the bond of FRP sheets to concrete.” Proc., Composite in Construction, Int. Conf., J. Figueiras, L. Juvandes, R. Faria, A. Torres Marques, A. Ferreira, J. Barros, and J. Appleton, eds., Porto, Portugal, 339–344.
Naser, M., Hawileh, R., Abdalla, J. A., and Al Tamimi, A. (2010). “Finite element modeling of CFRP plate bonded to concrete surfaces.” Proc., 4th Institute of Materials Systems Int. Conf. on Application of Traditional and High Performance Materials in Harsh Environments, American Univ. of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Naser, M., Hawileh, R., Abdalla, J. A., and Al-Tamimi, A. (2012). “Bond behavior of CFRP cured laminates: Experimental and numerical investigation.” J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 134(3), 021002-1–021002-9.
Rasheed, H. A., Larson, K. H., and Nayyeri Amiri, S. (2013). “Analytical solution of interface shear stresses in FRP strengthened concrete beams.” J. Eng. Mech., 18–28.
Shrestha, J., Ueda, T., and Zhang, D. (2014). “Durability of FRP concrete bonds and its constituent properties under the influence of moisture conditions.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., A4014009.
Smith, S. T., Kaul, R., Ravindrarajah, R., and Otoom, O. M. A. (2005). “Durability considerations for FRP-strengthened RC structures in the Australian environment.” Proc., Australian Structural Engineering Conf. 2005: Structural Engineering—Preserving and Building into the Future, Tour Hosts, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 952–961.
Toutanji, H. A., and Gomez, W. (1997). “Durability characteristics of concrete beams externally bonded with FRP composite sheets.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 19(4), 351–358.
Toutanji, H. A., and Ortiz, G. (2001). “The effect of surface preparations on the bond interface between FRP sheets and concrete members.” Compos. Struct., 53(4), 457–462.
Uomoto, T., Mutsuyoshi, H., Katsuki, F., and Misra, S. (2002). “Use of fiber reinforced polymer composites as reinforcing material for concrete.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 191–209.
Wan, B., Petrou, M. F., and Harries, K. A. (2006). “The effect of the presence of water on the durability of bond between CFRP and concrete.” J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., 25(8), 875–890.
Zhang, P., Wu, G., Zhu, H., Meng, S., and Wu, Z. (2014). “Mechanical performance of the wet-bond interface between FRP plates and cast-in-place concrete.” J. Compos. Constr., 04014016-9–04014016-1.
Zheng, Y., Priestley, R. D., and Mckenna, G. B. (2004). “Physical aging of an epoxy subsequent to relative humidity jumps through the glass concentration.” J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys., 42(11), 2107–2121.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 7, 2013
Accepted: Oct 21, 2014
Published online: Dec 1, 2014
Discussion open until: May 1, 2015
Published in print: Sep 1, 2015
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.