Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

In response to the deterioration associated with Canada's aging and crumbling infrastructure, new non-corroding materials are being incorporated into buildings and bridges. These structures may be constructed or reinforced with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials that have high strength to weight ratios, are easily transported and can be rapidly installed on site. Pultruded FRP sections are used for the construction of small lightweight structures and FRP bars may be used to reinforce concrete. In addition to their use in new structures, externally bonded FRP sheets are an extremely effective and efficient method of strengthening concrete components. While there has been extensive research and successful applications in the field, there is very little published work on the behaviour of FRP structural components when subjected to the combined effects of low temperatures and severe, rapidly-applied loads. The goal of this project is to investigate and quantify the behaviour of FRP structural components that are subjected to impact and blast loading at low temperatures. During the early stages of the project, the response of concrete sandwich panels reinforced with FRP rods, reinforced concrete specimens strengthened with FRP sheets and FRP pultruded shapes will be subjected to rapidly applied impact loads at both room and low temperatures. During later stages of the project, additional specimens of FRP pultruded sections and FRP reinforced or strengthened concrete will be exposed to blast loading at normal and low temperatures. The specimens will be subjected to a free-field blast environment using explosives. The difference in the behaviour of the blast-loaded materials in their normal and frozen states will be studied. The results of this research will be particularly significant because the protection of Canadian critical infrastructure from natural extreme events such as tsunamis and accidental or deliberate man-made explosions is an area of increasing importance. This research will help structural engineers to design buildings and bridges to safely withstand the effects of extreme loading conditions that may be applied concurrently with the low temperatures that are characteristic of the Canadian climate.