ADVANCED COMPOSITES FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Advanced composite materials, developed originally for aerospace and defense applications, have shown great potential for applications in the civil engineering and construction industry, based on their mechanical and chemical characteristics. The broad availability of glass, aramid, and carbon fibers and matrices ranging from epoxies, vinylesters or polyesters to cementitious bonding agents, as well as significant advances in automated or semi-automated manufacturing technologies, have recently been shown to make advanced composite materials affordable and competitive with conventional civil engineering structural materials, in the rehabilitation of existing structures and in new structural design concepts and systems. This paper summarizes and highlights recent research developments and applications of advanced composites in civil engineering in the United States, and outlines concerns, development needs, and the great potential for these new and emerging construction materials for the 21st Century.