FRP STRENGTHENING OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES – DESIGN GUIDELINES IN SWEDEN

Abstract eng:
Over the past decade, the issue of deteriorating infrastructure has become a topic of critical importance in Europe, and to an equal extent in the United States and Japan. The deterioration of decks, superstructure elements and columns can be traced to reasons ranging from ageing and environmentally induced degradation to poor initial construction and lack of maintenance. Added to the problems of deterioration, are the issues related to the needs for higher load ratings and increased number of lanes to accommodate the ever-increasing traffic flow on the major arteries. As an overall result, a significant portion of our infrastructure is currently either structurally or functionally deficient. Beyond the costs and visible consequences associated with continuous retrofit and repair of such structural components, are the real consequences related to losses in production and overall economies related to time and resources caused be delays and detours. As we prepare for the twenty-first century, the renewal of our lifelines becomes a critical issue. The introduction of fibre -reinforced polymers (FRPs) in civil engineering structures has progressed at a very rapid rate in recent years. These high-performance materials have unique properties that make them extremely attractive for a wide range of structural applications. The basic concepts relative to the use of FRPs for structural strengthening, along with examples of application, have been presented by a numerous of researchers all over the world. The rapidly expanding body of literature in this area, along with corresponding increase in level of activity, confirms the fact that these new materials are progressively gaining wider acceptance by the civil engineering community. Nevertheless, if the method shall be successfully used it is of utmost importance that a proper design forms the base for the strengthening work to be carried out. Therefore, design guidelines are of utmost importance. In Sweden t design guidelines for external strengthening with FRP was written and incorporated in the Swedish Bridge Code: BRO 94 in 1999. This paper presents a short summary of the existing Swedish guideline. FRP strengthening design is a quite straightforward process, if the designer possesses knowledge in the area. However, consideration must be taken to special possible failure modes related to the FRP sheets or laminates. In addition the existing strain (stress) field on the structure can be of considerable importance for existing structures. Furthermore, the execution process is of tremendous importance as it is essential to understand where and when the strengthening materials can and should be used. If the work is not carried out in a careful way the final strengthening result could be severely affected for FRP Plate Bonding.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket