Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been of interest to the structural engineering society since the earliest days of FRP composites industry. The use of such systems has been implemented in both new construction and for repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. Since the 1980s, researchers have developed a significant body of knowledge to use FRP composites in infrastructure applications; however, most of this established knowledge was concentrated on the use of traditional epoxy (EP) systems (epoxy matrix FRPs and epoxy adhesives). FRP composites with polyurethane (PU) matrices and adhesives have recently attracted the attention of a few researchers due to their potential advantages in constructibility and mechanical properties. The deployment of these systems is currently limited by a lack of knowledge on mechanical and durability performance. The objective of this research is to quantify the mechanical behavior of PU composites utilized in externally-bonded repair of common flexural and flexural-axial reinforced concrete systems. In addition, the mechanical performance, strength, and failure modes are compared directly with an epoxy-based composite by subjecting reinforced concrete specimens utilizing each of the matrix types (EP and PU) to the same protocols. The study presented therefore allows an objective comparison (advantages and disadvantages) between the two composite system used for repair and rehabilitation of concrete infrastructure. An experimental research program was designed with different length scales. Small-scale experiments were utilized to characterize the component level properties of the materials and bond to concrete, which include the flexural behavior as well as the pure shear behavior. The results of these small scale experiments were used to calibrate analytical models of the interface behavior between FRP laminate and concrete, and paved the way for the next level of the research which studied the behavior of each composite system at larger scales. The large scale experiments included flexural retrofitting of reinforced concrete girders and retrofitting of circular columns using FRP laminates. The large-scale experimental specimens were mechanically damaged prior to FRP repair and testing, making the testing more appropriate compared to common practice of repairing undamaged specimens.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-2364 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Creators | El Zghayar, Elie |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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