Determination of Optimum Surface Profile for Bond of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to Concrete

Abstract

The American Society of Civil Engineers has rated the infrastructure of the United States at a startling D+ and estimates that one in every nine bridges is structurally deficient. They also predict that by 2020, 3.6 million dollars will be need to be allocated to the repair of American infrastructure. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is a tested form of tensile strengthening that can be bonded to a damaged or decaying section of concrete. The carbon fiber is bonded using a high strength epoxy and, once set, transfers the load that would be experienced by the concrete to the FRP. One of the largest limiting factor in the application of FRP is the strength of the bond between the fiber and the concrete. This project explores the relationship between bond strength and Concrete Surface Profile (CSP). The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) characterizes the roughness of concrete on a scale from 1 to 10, CSP-1 being the smoothest and CSP-10 the roughest. The goal of the project is to determine the optimum surface profile for bonding FRP to concrete.