Future Directions for Research in FRP Composites in Concrete Construction

Abstract

The research community has made great progress identifying and quantifying the characteristics of fiber reinforced polymer FRP composite materials used in infrastructure applications. A growing number of demonstration projects and commercial applications contribute to the knowledge base in this area; however, the use of FRP materials in infrastructure is still in its infancy, and a number of issues remain to be adequately addressed Cosenza and Manfredi 2002 . In some cases, the dearth of understanding and/or design guidance represents a significant limitation to the broader implementation of FRP materials in infrastructure applications. On October 22–23, 2004, the Workshop on FRP Composites in Concrete Construction was held in San Francisco Porter and Harries 2005 . The overall objective of this workshop was to identify and prioritize research areas and issues which industry, practitioners, and academia identify as requiring further attention to improve the understanding of the behavior of FRP materials and FRP structural and repair systems. The specific objectives of the workshop were as follows: • Develop a consensus of the current state-of-the-art in the use of FRP composites for infrastructure applications through a review of previous and pending research projects and field applications. • Identify critical research needs affecting the implementation of FRP composites in construction applications and develop a consensus on the priority of these needs. • Identify emerging and novel applications for FRP composites in infrastructure and identify additional research needs associated with these. • Develop a coordinated plan for a unified approach to address research needs and matching those research needs with appropriate funding agencies/opportunities. • Identify improved mechanisms by which research results may be disseminated in a manner appropriate to the implementation of FRP composites in infrastructure. The discussion of research needs should not be construed as representing an impediment to the broader adoption of FRP materials for infrastructure applications. Rather, this discussion of research needs acknowledges that, as with any emerging technology, limitations and gaps in knowledge exist. Considerable efforts have been made to identify these gaps and, in some sense, prioritize their importance with respect to the broader adoption of FRP