Fibre Reinforce Polymer Composites in Bridge Structures Term Paper

Fibre Reinforce Polymer Composites in Bridge Structures - Term Paper Example From the research it can be comprehended that mechanically, a composite is a separable combination of two or more materials that are not the same at the molecular level but purposefully mixed to come up with a new material that has optimal and superior properties, which are different from those of its components. These materials have been utilized over the years in construction. An ancient way was the use of straw for reinforcement in clay and mud bricks. In the last century, in several structural systems, combination of reinforcing concrete and steel has been used for construction. However, a new crop of composite material has since been largely accepted by most engineers for construction and the rehabilitation of new structures and existing facilities. This class consists of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites, which were in the earlier days developed specifically for defense and aerospace. Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) are a combination of polymeric resins which acts as binders o r matrices that has stiff and strong fibre assemblies which act as the reinforcing phase. The combination of a reinforcing phase with the matrix phase produces a material system that is analogous to steel reinforced concrete and is new. However, these concentrations may significantly vary; generally, the reinforced concrete rarely has more than 5% reinforcement, whereas Fibre reinforced polymer composites contains more than 30% reinforcements.... This class consists of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites, which were in the earlier days developed specifically for defense and aerospace. Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) are a combination of polymeric resins which acts as binders or matrices that has stiff and strong fibre assemblies which act as the reinforcing phase. The combination of a reinforcing phase with the matrix phase produces a material system that is analogous to steel reinforced concrete and is new. However, these concentrations may significantly vary; generally, the reinforced concrete rarely has more than 5% reinforcement, whereas Fibre reinforced polymer composites contains more than 30% reinforcements. Components of a Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite Fibre This is a material that has been made into a long filament. A single fibre normally has up to 15Â µm. When the diameter is bigger, the probability of surface defects increases. The aspect ratio of diameter and length in continuous fibres can range from thousa nds to infinity. They usually occupy 50% of the weight and over 30% of the volume. Fibres are mainly meant for providing fitness, carrying the load, providing thermal stability, strength, and other structural properties to Fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) (2). The fibres in FRP composite need to have very high ultimate strength, high modulus of elasticity, low variation strength, high uniformity of diameter, high stability, and high uniformity of surface dimension among fibres. There are various forms of fibre used as reinforcements for polymer composite reinforcement exists. The manufacturer of materials made from FRP composites normally present