Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) waste is becoming an environmental concern due to the widespread use and non-biodegradable nature of FRP composites. Cutting FRP waste into discrete reinforce-ments (referred to as “needles” hereafter) as coarse aggregate in concrete has been suggested as a possible solution to FRP waste recycling. It has previously been observed in small specimens that FRP needles increase the tensile strength and energy absorption capacity of concrete. This paper presents an experimental investiga-tion into the effect of GFRP needles as coarse aggregate partial replacement in concrete on shear behavior of full-scale reinforced concrete (RC) beams. A total of 10 RC beams without steel stirrups in the critical zone were tested under four-point bending. The volume replacement ratio of the coarse aggregate and the surface type of GFRP needles were chosen as the test parameters. GFRP needles, with either smooth or helically wrapped surfaces, were added to the concrete mix to replace 5% or 10% of coarse aggregate by volume, respectively. All test beams failed in shear in a brittle manner with the ductility being slightly enhanced by the partial replace-ment of coarse aggregate using GFRP needles. An enhancement of 8%-10% in the load carrying capacity was observed in beams with helically wrapped needles, while beams with smooth needles showed a reduction in the load carrying capacity.
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Mechanical Processing of GFRP Waste into Large-Sized Pieces for Use in Concrete
Recycling glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite materials has been proven to be challenging due to their high mechanical performance and high resistance to harsh chemical and thermal conditions. This work discusses the efforts made in the past to mechanically process GFRP waste materials by cutting them into large-sized (cm scale) pieces, as opposed to pulverization, for use in concrete mixtures. These pieces can be classified into two main categories—coarse aggregate and discrete reinforcement, here referred to as “needles.” The results from all the studies show that using GFRP coarse aggregate leads to significant reductions in the compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete. However, GFRP needles lead to sizable increases in the energy absorption capacity of concrete. In addition, if the glass fibers are longitudinally aligned within the needles, these elements can substantially increase the tensile strength of concrete. Processing GFRP waste into needles requires less energy and time than that for producing GFRP coarse aggregate. Also, compared to pulverized GFRP waste, which consists of broken and separate particles of glass and resin that at best can be used as low-quality fillers, GFRP needles are high strength composite elements
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- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10055347
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Recycling
- Volume:
- 3
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2313-4321
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 8
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract A novel method is developed for reusing the waste glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) powder as a precursor in geopolymer production. Several activation parameters that affect the workability and strength gain of GFRP powder-based geopolymers are investigated. The results of an experimental study reveal that the early strength of GFRP powder-based geopolymer pastes develops slowly at ambient temperature. The highest compressive strength of GFRP powder-based geopolymer pastes is 7.13 MPa at an age of 28 days. The ratio of compressive strength to flexural strength of GFRP powder-based-geopolymers is lower than that of fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)-based geopolymers, indicating that the incorporation of GFRP powder can improve the geopolymer brittleness. GGBS is incorporated into geopolymer blends to accelerate the early activity of GFRP powder. The binary geopolymer pastes exhibit shorter setting times and higher mechanical strength values than those of single GFRP powder geopolymer pastes. The GGBS geopolymer concrete mixture with 30 wt% GFRP powder displayed the highest compressive strength and flexural strength values and was less brittle. The developed binary GFRP powder/GGBS-based geopolymers reduce the disadvantages of single GFRP powder or GGBS geopolymers, and thus, offer high potential as a building construction material.more » « less
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Abstract Abstract Options for recycling fiber composite polymer (FCP) materials are scarce, as these materials cannot be normally recycled and are toxic when improperly disposed. Additionally, reducing water usage is an increasing concern, as the concrete industry currently uses 10% of the world’s industrial water. Therefore, building upon our previous work, this research explores the use of polymer hybrid carbon and glass composite waste products as reinforcements in high-pressure compacted cement. Our material used nearly 70% less water during manufacturing and exhibited improved durability and salt corrosion resistance. Compression strength tests were performed on high-pressure compacted materials containing 6.0 wt% recycled admixtures before and after saltwater aging, and the results showed that the material retained 90% of its original compression strength after aging, as it contained fewer pores and cavities. Our experimental work was supplemented by molecular dynamics. Simulations, which indicated that the synergetic effects of compaction and FCP admixture addition slowed the diffusion of corrosive salt ions by an average of 84%. Thus, our high-pressure compacted cement material may be suitable for extended use in marine environments, while also reducing the amount of commercial fiber composite polymer waste material that is sent to the landfill.
<bold>Article Highlights</bold> Fiber composite waste was successfully recycled into denser, high-pressure compacted ordinary Portland cement materials.
High-pressure compacted cement samples containing 6% recycled admixtures retained 90% of their compression strength after salt aging.
The high-pressure compaction method utilized 70% less water during specimen fabrication.
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null (Ed.)As part of the effort to improve the seismic performance of buildings in Alaska (AK), many of the deficient structures in Anchorage, AK, were retrofitted—some with externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (EBFRP) composite systems. The 2018 magnitude 7.1 Cook Inlet earthquake that impacted the same region offered an opportunity to evaluate the performance of EBFRP retrofits in a relatively high-intensity earthquake. This study summarizes the following findings of this field investigation: (1) the performance of EBFRP-retrofitted structures in the Cook Inlet earthquake and (2) the observations concerning the condition of FRP retrofits from over a decade of exposure in a subarctic environment. A deployment team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the University of Delaware (UD) Center for Composite Materials conducted post-earthquake inspections of EBFRP retrofits in multiple buildings to assess their performance during the earthquake and condition with respect to weathering. EBFRP debonding was documented with infrared thermography and acoustic sounding and the bond quality between EBFRP and concrete was assessed using pull-off tests. Visual inspections showed no major signs of earthquake damage in the EBFRP-retrofitted components. However, evaluation of debonding and pull-off test results suggested that outdoor conditions may have led to bond deterioration between EBFRP and concrete from installation defects that grew over time, freeze–thaw expansion from moisture present at the FRP/concrete interface, differences in thermal expansion of the materials, or a combination thereof. The carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) bond to concrete was found to be more vulnerable to outdoor exposure than the glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) bond. Earthquake effects on FRP/concrete bond could not be assessed due to the lack of baseline data.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling3010008
