Peel-and-Stick FRP System for Concrete Confinement

摘要

Unidirectional glass fibers were used to make an innovative peel-and-stick FRP system for concrete confinement. The proposed FRP laminate is a three-layer system where the fibers are sandwiched between two layers of thermoplastic polymer that does not fully penetrate through the fiber. The system is not installed by manual lay-up, which makes the application easy and rapid. A pilot research was conducted on thirty-four concrete cylinders, 150 mm × 300 mm (6×12 in) in size, wrapped with the peel-and-stick FRP system to be tested under pure axial compression. The objective of the study was to test the performance in strengthening and installation of the confinement with the new system. Two wrapping configurations with the peel-and-stick FRP were tested. In the first configuration, the peel-and-stick FRP was applied directly onto the concrete surface; in the second, an adhesive primer was used onto the concrete surface prior to the application of the peel-and-stick FRP system. The purpose of the primer was to evaluate the possibility of protecting the FRP laminate from the penetration of concrete fragments after cracking. The investigated variables were: fiber volume, number of plies and material used as the primer. Observations made during and after testing indicated that the primer prevents damage resulting from concrete fragments displacing radially outward. The results also showed ease of installation and an increase in toughness, but no increase in compression capacity due to the slippage of the fibers within the resin layers which translates in a ductile failure of the system.