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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Performance Evaluation, Material and Specification Development for Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) Reinforcing Bars Embedded in Concrete

Florida is a coastal state with bridge infrastructure exposed to aggressive environments through direct and indirect contact with saline solutions. Due to this exposure, conventional black steel reinforcement that is traditionally used for bridges is corroding prematurely, resulting in early structural deterioration which in-turn may cause huge financial and personal losses. In a successful effort to overcome such corrosion and deteriorating effects, reinforcing bars (rebars) made from fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) were developed. FRP rebars are composite materials, in which fibers, resin, and sizing (interface material between fibers and resin) are the main constituent materials. Different fiber types are used to produce such rebars, and the most common type in the US is glass fiber. In the former Soviet Bloc, continuous fibers made from basalt rock were favored and since the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), previously proprietary/military technologies have been made public and continuous basalt fibers (CBF) have entered the world market as a viable alternative to glass fibers. CBF are now used to produce basalt fiber reinforced polymers (BFRP) in rebar applications and these rebars are now imported or produced in North America. Various types of BFRP rebars with dissimilar sizes, physical and strength properties, are currently produced to be used for civil engineering construction. In this project, representative and commonly available BFRP rebars were tested to evaluate various physical properties (cross-sectional properties, fiber content, and moisture absorption properties) and different strength characteristics (horizontal and transverse shear, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and bond-to-concrete properties) according to ASTM standards, in an effort to develop basalt specific acceptance criteria for Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Specifications Section 932, which governs the use of non-metallic auxiliary materials for civil engineering construction. BFRP rebars from three different manufacturers, two different production lots, and two most commonly used rebar sizes (# 3 and # 5) were included in this study. The obtained results were used to evaluate the performance of each rebar type in a relativistic comparison to existing benchmark values for glass FRP (GFRP) rebars. The fiber content test proved that all tested samples had consistent and nearly identical results with acceptable performance. Moisture absorption property of the rebars varied significantly based on the manufacturers, type of raw materials used, and the production techniques. Transverse shear strength of the tested BFRP rebars proved to be 116 % stronger than GFRP bars. Tensile strength measurements and horizontal shear strength measurements were consistent for all rebar types and the recorded values surpassed the strengths generally reported for GFRP rebars. The bond-to-concrete strength of the tested BFRP rebars were not significantly different from bond-to-concrete strength commonly reported for GFRP rebars because similar surface enhancement techniques are used for either rebar type. Based on the obtained results it was noted that the tested BFRP rebars surpassed the strength related acceptance criteria for GFRP rebars. While the manufacturer reported properties varied and each rebar type performed different, the tested BFRP rebars were generally stronger (higher performance) than GFRP rebars. Ultimately, it was found that BFRP rebars are a suitable and viable alternative for construction in Florida and that those materials should be considered for FDOT Specification 932.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Edition: Final Report
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 170p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01742572
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: FSU Project ID: 042088
  • Contract Numbers: BDV30 TWO 986-01
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Jun 17 2020 3:45PM