Title: Fire Protection for Beams with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Flexural Strengthening Systems

Author(s): Nabil Grace and Mena Bebawy

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 111

Issue: 3

Appears on pages(s): 537-548

Keywords: fiber-reinforced polymer; fire resistance; reinforced concrete; strengthening

DOI: 10.14359/51686729

Date: 5/1/2014

Abstract:
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have been widely implemented in strengthening concrete structures. Their performance under fire events, however, has not been fully addressed. The lack of fire research imposes limitations on the use of FRP materials in structural applications, where fire is a concern. An experimental program was developed to investigate the performance of rectangular reinforced concrete beams flexurally strengthened with FRP materials under fire/loading events. Thirteen beams were constructed and tested to failure. Three beams served as control beams and were tested under three-point-loading setup at ambient temperature. Other beams were provided with supplemental fire insulation layers and were exposed to ASTM E119 fire scenario while being tested under the same loading setup. The experimental investigation revealed that the common hypothesis of ignoring the strength of the FRP system during fire is inaccurate and underestimates the performance of the strengthened structural element during fire events.