Durability of FRP composites for civil infrastructure -myth, mystery or reality

摘要

Although FRP composites have made significant inroads in the civil engineering area, they have not been used to their full potential to date. With the increasing number of projects, especially in the area of rehabilitation, being completed there has been a marked increase in the level of comfort of civil engineers in using these materials. Although the durability of these materials can be significantly better than that of conventional materials it is emphasized that this is only possible through the selection of appropriate constituent materials, use of appropriate processes for manufacturing and fabrication, and incorporation of appropriate measures for environmental and damage protection. A schematic of needs from the constituent to the applications levels is shown in Figure 5. It is, important to emphasize that further research is needed at specific levels of materials, systems, and field implementation focusing on combined effects of stress and environmental exposure. The3 development of validated data bases for materials sets aimed at application in a civil infrastructure environment and the achievement of high quality products through control of processes along with the development of appropriate safety factors will result in the attainment of the potential of long-life with low maintenance ― without these the durability of FRP composites in civil infrastructure will remain both a myth and a mystery.