Fire performance of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete flexural members

Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials have recently emerged as a practical and innovative alternative to conventional construction and repair materials in civil engineering. A primary area of application for this technology is external strengthening of reinforced concrete structures including bridges, highway structures and parking garages. However, the repair of structural members in interior spaces with FRP materials has been hindered by concerns over the performance of these materials in fire conditions. This thesis presents results from an ongoing study to document the behaviour of FRP-strengthened flexural members at high temperatures, in an effort to enhance fire-safe FRP design and allow this technique to be used with confidence in buildings.; A literature review is presented which outlines the performance of FRP materials and FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete members in fire, and discusses current methods by which fire endurance of structural members is determined. The results of two fire tests on intermediate-scale FRP-strengthened slabs are presented, as are the results of fire tests on two large-scale FRP-strengthened beam-slab assemblies. Based on these test results, numerical models are developed to predict the thermal and structural performance of FRP-strengthened members during fire, and the thermal model is validated. A parametric study is performed to identify variables that are critical to the performance of FRP-strengthened flexural members in fire. Finally, simple fire design guidelines are suggested that aim to provide for fire-safe design with FRP in buildings.; The data provided herein illustrate the sensitivity of FRP materials to fire. However, they also demonstrate the ability of appropriately designed and insulated FRP-strengthened members to achieve satisfactory fire endurance ratings.