STOCHASTIC SECTION MODULUS REQUIREMENT FOR CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTIC PULTRUDED BEAMS

STOCHASTIC SECTION MODULUS REQUIREMENT FOR CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTIC PULTRUDED BEAMS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Structures are designed and constructed to supply sufficient capacity against vertical and lateral load demands with the purposes of providing life safety and preventing collapse. However, many examples of catastrophic results such as failure or damage of buildings, bridge piers, etc., are seen all over the world. These can be due to intentionally or unintentionally created deficiencies during service life and lack of control that needs to be provided both at the design and construction stages (Ümit, 2007). By definition, Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) is a composite of two material groups: (1) reinforcing fibre which provides the strength; and (2) polymer resin matrix such as epoxy, to bind the reinforcements together (Nanni, 1999).

During the last two decades, Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials have seen a steady increase in their applications for construction. They have been increasingly popular because of their advantages over conventional construction materials including a high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance leading to increased durability and lower maintenance costs, and their ability to be pultruded into various shapes whose mechanical properties can be custom-tailored for specific applications (Bank, 2006). However, significant barriers for wide-spread adoption still remain which include their high initial cost, the lack of understanding of their physical behaviour by practicing engineers, and the lack of a reliability based on Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) standard governing their design (Ellingwood, 2003).