Effects of adhesive coating on the hygrothermal aging performance of pultruded CFRP plates

Abstract

Bonding of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates to a concrete member is a widely used strengthening method. CFRP plates used in construction degrade due to harsh environmental conditions such as high temperature or alkaline solution seepage from concrete. However, the adhesive between CFRP plates and concrete may have a positive effect on the durability performance of CFRP plates. In this paper, the long-term performance of both naked and adhesive coated CFRP pultruded plates subjected to different-temperature water or alkaline solution (20, 40 and 60 °C) are investigated to evaluate the protective effect of adhesive on CFRP plates. It is found that the adhesive coating can slow the deterioration of mechanical properties especially the tensile properties and fiber-matrix interfacial properties. The water absorption mechanism of CFRP plates was also investigated.