Natural Weathering of GFRP Structures: Case Studies, Data Survey, and Proposal of a Moisture Conversion Factor for Durability Design
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 28, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper defines a conversion factor included in the European technical specification for the design of fibre–polymer composite structures that considers the effects of moisture on the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites exposed to natural weathering. The first part of the paper presents a field investigation about the durability of four pultruded glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) structures in service for 11–22 years in a Mediterranean climate. Their performance was evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis and mechanical tests on small-scale coupons. The changes of thermophysical and mechanical properties showed low-to-moderate degradation. The second part of the paper presents the design-oriented methodology to define the moisture conversion factor. The results from the experimental study and those gathered from a literature data survey on the retention of mechanical properties of FRP materials after long-term exposure to natural weathering were analyzed. Based on these data and statistical considerations, a value of 0.85 was adopted for the natural weathering moisture conversion factor.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) for the funding provided through project Durable-FRP (PTDC/ECI-EGC/4609/2020, http://doi.org/10.54499/PTDC/ECI-EGC/4609/2020), CERIS (Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability Centre) through FCT-funded project UIDB/04625/2020, and LNEC (Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering). The second and third authors also wish to acknowledge the financial support of FCT through their PhD scholarships PD/BD/113640/2015 and SFRH/BD/88467/2012, the first one within the EcoCore doctoral program.
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Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 28 • Issue 6 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 11, 2024
Accepted: Jul 16, 2024
Published online: Sep 24, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 24, 2025
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