Research Needs for Fiber Reinforced (FR) Composite Retrofit Systems in Buildings and Infrastructure

Synopsis: Fiber Reinforced (FR) composites have become increasingly popular as retrofit solutions for buildings and infrastructure due to their ease of application, lightweight properties, and corrosion resistance. However, there are still research needs in this area that hinder wider adoption of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) retrofit solutions and limit the understanding of initial and long-term performance of FRP-retrofitted components and structures. This paper presents the findings of an extensive literature review conducted by the authors to identify the state-of-the-art of FR composites, FRP-retrofitted structures and infrastructure, and guidelines and standards that address the testing, evaluation, and design of these systems. Research needs for FRP composites identified during a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) workshop that convened a group of experts in industry, academia, and manufacturing are discussed. An overview of those research needs that received the highest ranking in this workshop are presented in this paper. Implementation of these ranked research needs by the FR composite research community, including NIST, will serve to impact and advance the field of FRP retrofit of buildings and infrastructure. ACI Structural Earthquake Engineering is an associate member of ACI committees 440, 369, and 133. Her research interests include probabilistic analysis methods, finite element modeling, seismic retrofit of structures using fiber reinforced composites, and multi-hazard reconnaissance studies. Dr. Dukes is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia, USA. ACI member Goodwin is a Research Chemist in the Infrastructure Materials Group the Engineering MD. Dr. Goodwin is an associate member of ACI Committee 440. His research interests include accelerated and outdoor weathering of infrastructure materials, inspection methods and condition assessment of FRP composites bonded to concrete, materials characterization of cementitious materials and polymer composites containing fibers or nanomaterials, and multi-hazard reconnaissance studies. received his and He is a voting member of ACI Committees 369, Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation, and 374, Performance-Based Seismic Design of Concrete Buildings. He is also the chair of the ACI Subcommittees 374-A, Functional Recovery, and ACI 369-C, Frames. His research interests include seismic assessment of reinforced concrete buildings, uncertainty quantification, and functional recovery. ACI an associate member of ACI Committee Research interests include developing metrologies for characterizing optical properties, multi-scale microstructures, surface damage and durability of polymeric coatings and composites under environmental stresses (UV radiation, thermal, moisture, mechanical stresses)