Fiber Reinfoced Polymer Used for Flooding Protection of Engineering Structures Made of RC and Brick Masonry

Urban and rural floods are becoming nowadays a frequent problem to be dealt with, by both the population and the authorities. Floods and flood related natural disasters act against the civil, industrial and agricultural structures by the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressures of water. A set of protective solutions based on Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials, for structural elements of buildings subjected to flood loadings, is proposed and analysed. These solutions are achieved by using the hand lay-up forming technique utilizing glass, carbon or aramid fibers fabrics pre-impregnated with thermosetting epoxy, polyester or vynilester resins. The application of these FRP composites is carried out on reinforced concrete columns and beams as well as on brick masonry works aiming to increase in the overall load bearing capacity, especially against horizontal loads. An improved protection against excessive humidity is also envisaged. The Finite Elements Method based LUSAS software was used to simulate a partially flooded structure. The numerical modeling was carried out in both the un-strengthened and strengthened conditions of the structure in order to assess the increasing in load and deformation capacities of the structural elements. Volumetric finite elements were used for modeling the concrete and masonry members

Application of Modern Polymeric Composite Materials in Industrial Construction

The large variety of modern composite materials and products existing nowadays in the construction market provides multiple and convenient possibilities to use them in both structural and nonstructural industrial construction elements. The main advantages of modern composite materials such as: corrosion resistance, high strength and modulus values compared to their density, acceptable deformability, tailored design and excellent formability enable the fabrication of new elements and the structural rehabilitation of the existing parts made of traditional materials. The high potential of the applicability of polymeric composites in new industrial construction correlated with fabrication procedures as well as the use of composites in modern strengthening solutions are presented in the paper

Strengthening of Unreinforced Masonry Walls with Composite Materials

Unreinforced masonry (URM) is considered one of the oldest construction materials being until the end of XIXth century, the basic material for: foundations, walls, columns, volts, staircases, floor joints, roofs, retaining walls, drainage channels, barrages, etc. Construction with URM elements posses a series of advantages such as: fire resistance, thermal an acoustic insulations between interior and outside spaces, humidity resistance. However the URM elements have some significant inconveniences such as: large self weight (heaviness causes cracks in the other elements of structures), reduced mechanical strengths in comparison with other traditional materials (steel and concrete), low tenacity, great manual labor consumptions, and vulnerability to earthquakes. Various factors cause deteriorations which must be overcome by strengthening solutions. Some strengthening solutions based on fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) products applied directly on URM brick walls are presented in the paper

Teaching Polymeric Composites in Construction, a Joint Effort of Education, Research and Industry

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are currently finding a large use in many civil engineering areas. They are utilized in all composites structures with special electric and magnetic and corrosion resistance requirements, bridge decks, strengthening and rehabilitation of old structures of various destination and as reinforcement for concrete members. The authors present their experience with teaching of FRP composites as part of civil engineering curricula, some research associated projects and practical applications of these advanced materials. The teaching procedures, combined with national and international projects are presented and some demonstration projects implemented since 70s are discussed. Also the involvement of industry in teaching and understanding composites is underlined