A review of performance of fibre reinforced polymer strengthened structures under fire exposure

Abstract

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) have been rapidly gaining popularity across a variety of civil engineering applications. Over the decades, most of the applications have been for structures where no fire exposure is considered such as bridges and parking lots. For applications in confined spaces, performance under fire is an important property to be considered for any material, due to which, FRP strengthening systems in buildings have not seen widespread use. Due to scarce research in the field, the fibre reinforced polymers do not have sufficient documentation of bond properties and mechanical characteristics at elevated temperatures required for use in buildings. This review consolidates the existing research on the mechanical and bond behavior at high temperature of the constituent materials of FRPs. The paper also discusses experimental results and numerical studies conducted by various researchers for insulated as well uninsulated FRP strengthened concrete members (beams, columns, slabs) at elevated temperatures. Available design guidelines have been discussed. Finally, recommendations for future research are also discussed.