This self-guided presentation covers the use of externally bonded FRP systems for strengthening

existing concrete structures. The content of the presentation follows the guidelines given in the
ACI 440.2R-08 document.

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The first part of this presentation will give a brief introduction to FRP materials.

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Fiber reinforced polymer (or FRP) materials are created by combining high strength, thread-like
fibers with a polymer or resin material.

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The result is a rigid material that is high strength yet light weight. The fibers in the material
give the material all of its strength and stiffness characteristics while the polymer holds the
fibers in alignment.

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Since the fibers primarily dictate the strength and stiffness properties of FRP materials, FRP
materials are anisotropic materials – meaning they have different mechanical properties in
different directions. The properties of an FRP material in any given direction is dependent on
the fiber orientation. For example, an FRP material with fibers primarily in one direction will
have very high strength and stiffness in that direction, however it will have relatively low
strength in perpendicular directions.

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The resins in an FRP material function to bind the fibers together and to protect the fibers from
mechanical and environmental damage. Certain environmental durability characteristics (such
as tolerance to heat) are primarily governed by the properties and type of resin.

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There are several thousands of different types of resin and fibers that can be used to create FRP
materials. In the construction industry, however, the common resins used are epoxy, vinylester,
and polyester. In the case of FRP strengthening systems, epoxies are almost exclusively used
due to their ability to perform dual functions as both the resin and as an adhesive to concrete.
The common fibers that are used are carbon fiber, E-glass (or fiberglass), and aramid. (Aramid
is a generic term, these are better known by the trade name Kevlar®. Kevlar® is one type of
aramid fiber manufactured by DuPont.)

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In general, carbon fibers are the highest strength, highest stiffness, and most durable fibers.
They are highly resistant to most environmental conditions, they exhibit low creep, and they
possess high fatigue endurance. It is important to note that carbon fibers are conductive. As
such, if they come in contact with steel, they will promote galvanic corrosion of the steel under
the right environmental conditions. They also should be kept isolated from high voltage or
sensitive electrical equipment as there is the potential for carbon fibers to short-out such
equipment.

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Glass fibers have the lowest strength and stiffness of the three fibers, but they are generally the
most economical. Glass fibers are also known to degrade in moist environments and in alkaline
environments (although a certain type of glass fiber known as AR glass is more resistant to
alkaline environments). Glass fibers also do not resist fatigue well and do exhibit substantial
creep under sustained loads.

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Aramid fibers, better known as Kevlar®, are intermediate in terms of strength and stiffness –
falling between carbon and glass. The most unique characteristic of aramid fibers is their
toughness. They resist high strain rates and stress concentrations very well. Generally,
however, aramid fibers are the most expensive of the fibers. Aramid fibers are sensitive to UV
exposure and the fibers do swell when exposed to moisture.

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This table shows the range of mechanical properties for the various fibers. In general the
strengths of the fibers is much higher than steel. It is important, also, to note that there are a
range of properties even within the same type of fiber. The manufacture of the fibers determines
the properties and depending on the composition and manufacture of the fiber, a range of
properties can be attained.

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With all three of the common types of fiber, the material behavior is completely linearly-elastic.
These materials exhibit no yielding or strain softening – they are the very definition of brittle
materials. This important aspect must be closely considered when using these materials for
reinforcing and strengthening concrete. The design portion of this presentation will look at this
in more detail.
It is also important to recognize that although the strengths of these materials are much greater
than steel, the density or unit weight of these materials is much lower. This high strength-to-
weight ratio is one reason why these materials have been used successfully for decades in the
aerospace industry.

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It is known that the strength of FRP materials will degrade under certain environmental
conditions. For this reason, eqns 9-3, 9-4, and 9-5 give procedures for applying environmental
“knock-down” factors to the tensile properties of the FRP material.

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The environmental knock-down factors are a function of the type of fiber being used as well as
the type of exposure. As stated previously, carbon fiber is generally the most durable, followed
by aramid fiber, and glass fibers are the least durable. The knock-down factors used recognize
this fact.

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As previously mentioned, the various types of fibers have varying resistance to creep effects. It
is possible for sustained loads to induce creep in the fibers that ultimately result in rupture of the
fibers. This is particularly of concern with glass fibers which can only sustain roughly 30% of
their ultimate strength indefinitely without suffering from creep-rupture. Carbon fibers are most
resistant to this phenomenon and can indefinitely resist 80% of their ultimate strength over time.

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In order to avoid creep rupture failures, the sustained stress in the fibers should be limited
according to the criteria shown. For combined cyclic and sustained loads the sum of these
effects should be limited.

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Although this presentation will be focused on using FRP materials for strengthening concrete
structures, there are currently other uses of FRP materials in construction. The light weight,
high strength, and non-corrosive nature of these materials makes them well suited to a number
of construction applications.
Pole picture 1 – Lightweight GFRP poles installed by helicopter in Las Vegas.
Pole picture 2 –Filament wound GFRP power utility pole being tested at the University of
Manitoba.
Shed – Bi-level shed and stairs constructed at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Roof – Roof on aerial station located atop Stone Mountain, GA. Pultruded FRP used to reduce
radio interference

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Top pic - Piles and fendering used for the Lewes Delaware for the Cape May – Lewes Ferry
Bottom left – generic recycled polymer pile with GFRP rebar
Bottom middle, right – FRP tubes filled with concrete used in Virginia, San Diego, and many
other locations.

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An example of a fiberglass bridge deck system used for rehabilitating weight-restricted bridges.

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An example of a fiberglass “solid” slab bridge used for spans up to 40’ in length.
This is the Wheatley road bridge in Cecil County, Maryland.

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FRP grids embedded in a polymer or cementitious grout for use in countertops, decks, and other
elements in residential construction

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Other forms of FRP used as reinforcement in new concrete construction including FRP grids,
FRP reinforcing bars, and FRP prestressing cables.

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Due to the high cost of FRP materials compared to traditional concrete and steel materials, the
use of FRP in construction must, in most cases, be justified by a benefit other than cost. In the
case of using FRP materials for strengthening, however, the cost of the material is balanced by
much lower installation costs. The use of FRP materials for strengthening is often the most
economical option for strengthening. Thus, there has been widespread use of this technology
throughout the world. The rest of this presentation will focus on this application of FRP
materials.

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The next section of this presentation will provide an introduction to FRP strengthening systems.

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There are many circumstances that may necessitate that an existing structure be
strengthened. These can be generally categorized as one of the following:
1. Change in Use:
Change in use describes an application in which a structure is required to carry
additional loads. An example of this situation in a commercial market could be a new
planter on a parking deck or office space changing to file storage. In an industrial
environment, it could describe a situation in which a structure is having additional load
applied to it via new equipment.
2. Construction or Design Defects:
Poor workmanship or design defects can cause a structure to have inadequate load-
bearing capacity.
3. Damage or Deterioration:
A structure that loses structural capacity due to damage or long term deterioration
may require strengthening. Corrosion damage for example reduces the cross sectional area
of steel reinforcement which may lead to a need to increase the strength of the structure.
4. New Load Cases:
New load cases represent loads that the structure was not originally designed to
resist. Common examples would be seismic forces requiring a seismic retrofit or blast
forces that would require that a structure be blast hardened. This may also be due to
changes in the building code requirements.

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This photo shows an example of excessive loading caused by a snow plow piling snow in one
concentrated area of a parking deck…

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…the result of the excessive snow load, evident from below the parking deck, was severe
flexural cracking on the double tees supporting the parking deck. This type of overload may
require strengthening to address the damage done to the double tees and perhaps to better
reinforce the structure against future overload conditions.

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In order to address many of these strengthening challenges, FRP strengthening systems are one
viable option. FRP strengthening systems come in a variety of forms…

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With fabric systems, the fiber material is delivered to site as a dry roll of fabric constructed from
the fiber material.

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The dry fabric is then applied by saturating the fabric with resin in the field. (The fabric can
either be saturated prior to applying it to the structure or the dry fabric can be placed into resin
applied directly to the structure.) Until the resin cures, the fabric remains very flexible and can
be formed around virtually any substrate profile. After the resin cures, a rigid FRP material is
formed that is bonded to the concrete substrate.

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With laminate systems, a pre-cured FRP material, typically in the form of a plate, is delivered to
site.

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Adhesive is applied to the FRP plate and the plate is adhered to the concrete substrate. This
system is usually faster to install than a fabric system, but the plates are rigid and do not
conform to the shape of the structure. They are typically limited to flat substrates.

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Regardless of the type of FRP system used, the result is externally bonded FRP reinforcement
that functions similar to internal steel reinforcement. A simplified diagram showing the layout
of steel reinforcement inside of a concrete frame is shown…

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…External FRP reinforcement is used in a similar fashion. If additional positive moment
capacity is needed, longitudinal fibers along the bottom side of a beam would be used. If
additional shear capacity is needed, vertical fibers acting as external stirrups would be used.
Column confinement can also be achieved. However, it is important to note that external FRP
reinforcement should only be utilized as tensile reinforcement. The compressive properties of
FRP strengthening systems are not reliable, and it is not recommended to use FRP strengthening
systems as compressive reinforcement.

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Most applications of FRP strengthening systems fall into one of three categories – flexural
strengthening, shear strengthening, and axial enhancement. Each of these applies to a range of
structural elements. Some of the more common elements are listed in this slide. Specific design
guidelines for flexural strengthening, shear strengthening, and axial enhancement are given in
the ACI 440.2R-08 document. This presentation will now go through the guidelines given for
each of these applications.

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First this presentation will cover flexural strengthening.

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An example of flexural strengthening is shown in this application. This project is a bank
building in North Carolina. Strengthening was required to address a load increase resulting
from a change in use. The existing parking garage, located on the first two floors of the building,
was being converted into office space and a data center. Computer equipment associated with
the data center required a 100 psf live load rating.

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The structural system supporting the existing parking levels was a two-way, post-tensioned flat
slab. The flat slab was originally designed to carry 50-psf of live load. The capacity needed to
be increased to carry the 100-psf live load associated with the office/data center.

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The increase in live load resulted in flexural deficiencies in the negative and positive moment
regions of the slab’s column strip. (The existing strengths of the middle strip, slab punching
shear, columns, and foundations were sufficient to carry the additional load.) This photo shows
the additional flexural reinforcement being added to the underside of the slab along the column
line to increase positive moment capacity. Note that the flexibility of the FRP reinforcement
allows it to be placed above existing plumbing and electrical work without having to remove
and replace these items.

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On the topside of the slab, the negative moment capacity near the columns is increased by
additional FRP reinforcement running in two directions to accommodate the two-way action of
the slab. Since the FRP fabric is relatively thin, reinforcement in one direction can be run
directly on top of reinforcement in the opposite direction without any special detailing at the
intersection. Furthermore, the final finish of the floor (in this case carpet) can be placed directly
on top of the FRP reinforcement. The final installed thickness of the FRP system is no greater
than 1/16-in. Thus, there is virtually no change in the floor elevation. This was particularly
important here, since the existing parking levels had limited headroom.

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Shear strengthening involves applying FRP systems with the primary fibers oriented across
potential shear cracks (typically vertically in a concrete beam). These external FRP “stirrups”
can increase shear capacity by as much as about 2-kips per inch of depth of the section.

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An example of shear strengthening with FRP can be seen in this precast parking garage in
Pennsylvania. Due to an issue with details at the end of the precast double tee beams in this
garage, all of the double tees were deficient in shear capacity over an area between the support
and 8' away from the support on both ends of the double tee.

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The shear deficiency manifested itself as shear cracks appearing in nearly every double-tee in
the garage. From an analysis of the structure, it was determined that the shear deficiency ranged
from 10 to 20 kips.

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This deficiency was corrected with carbon fiber "stirrups" applied onto the 20" deep flanges at
the ends of the double tee. Note that the FRP stirrups are in a “U” configuration. They extend
from the bottom of the top flange, down the side of the beam, across the bottom and back up the
other side. This is typical of FRP shear strengthening for concrete beams.

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After the installation of the FRP system, the strengthened areas were topcoated with a concrete
gray, textured coating. The coating concealed the repair and protected the epoxy in the FRP
system from UV exposure.

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The final application for FRP strengthening systems covered by the ACI 440.2R document is
confinement of members subjected to axial compression. FRP reinforcement in this application
mimics the effects of internal steel ties or spiral reinforcement. These FRP “jackets” can result
in modest increases in the axial load bearing capacity of some columns and can dramatically
improve the ductility of columns.

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An FRP confinement solution was employed on the concrete pedestal supporting this roller
coaster in an amusement park in Florida. The pedestal lacked sufficient steel ties and had
exhibited vertical cracking.

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The combination of loads, thermal expansion of the steel rail system of the roller coaster and
lack of confinement at the above shown support resulted in the vertical cracks. The installation
of the FRP system shown here involved constraints including both time and accessibility issues
due to the location of the column and the daily operation of the roller coaster.

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The installation of the FRP system was able to be completed quickly in one night while the
roller coaster was not in operation and allowed the ride to reopen the following day minimizing
the shut-down time.

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The last portion of this presentation will deal with construction/installation guidelines.

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The FRP strengthening system, in general, will only be as good as the concrete it is bonded to.
If there are existing issues with corrosion, spalling, scaling, etc., the cause of these problems
should be addressed and appropriate repairs should be made. Some of the references for
repairing the concrete properly are shown above. Additionally for bond critical applications it is
recommended that the tensile strength of the substrate be a minimum of 200-psi in order to
sustain the bond stresses that will be induced by the FRP and the concrete has a minimum
compressive strength of 2500 psi. The concept of “Contact-Critical” applications and “Bond-
Critical” applications is introduced here as well. Contact-critical applications do not rely on
bond of the material to the concrete. Rather they rely on intimate contact to the substrate and
continuity (bond of the material to itself at the location of the overlap). Bond-critical
applications do rely on bond to the substrate to provide additional strength. This distinction is
important as it effects design criteria as well as installation requirements.

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For bond critical applications, the existing substrate should be prepared by removing any weak
cement paste at the surface of the concrete and opening the pore structure of the concrete.
Surface preparation should preferably be done by abrasive blasting, however high pressure
water blasting (>10000-psi) and grinding may also be used. If water blasting is used, the surface
needs to be thoroughly dried before applying the FRP system. If grinding is used, it is important
to use a grinding wheel that will open the pore structure of the concrete and not polish the
surface of the concrete. Regardless of the method used, an ICRI Concrete Surface Profile (CSP)
3 is the desired profile. More information on the CSP 3 profile can be found in ICRI Publication
No. 03732 - Guideline for Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation for Sealers,
Coatings, and Polymer Overlays.

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Cracks that the FRP system will bridge need to be epoxy injected in order to avoid localized
failure of the FRP system. It is possible for the FRP system to buckle over the location of cracks
as the crack opens and closes (from structural or thermal movement). Cracks that may lead to
durability issues with the existing concrete should be addressed by injection or, in the case of
smaller cracks, sealing.

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Quality control prior to construction should include the items listed here.

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During construction, various QC testing that can be done may include the items listed. It is
common to perform tests on “witness panels” fabricated during construction. These are panels
fabricated on site from the fiber and resin supplied (or in the case of precured systems, simply
samples of the laminate), that can be sent to an independent lab for verification of tensile
properties.

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Additionally, for bond-critical applications it is recommended to do periodic bond tests
according to the criteria shown. Visual checks on cured thickness and number of layers of FRP
can also be attained from small core samples.

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After installation, inspection of the work should be made for obvious signs of damage to the
FRP or to the substrate. Additionally, delaminations should also be identified. These are
typically found by a simple tap test (acoustic sounding) after the resin has cured.

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If delaminations are detected they should be evaluated by the criteria shown here.

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This self-guided presentation covers the use of externally bonded FRP systems for strengthening
existing concrete structures. The content of the presentation follows the guidelines given in the
ACI 440.2R-08 document.

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