Effect of harsh environmental conditions on the tensile properties of GFRP bars

This paper presents the test results of an experimental study carried out to investigate the residual tensile properties of new generation of GFRP bars after being subjected to several harsh environmental conditions for different periods. The bars were exposed to ten different environmental conditions for 6, 12, and 18 months. In addition to a control laboratory condition, the environments included exposure to ordinary tap water and sea water at two temperatures (room and 50 degrees C), sea water dry/wet, alkaline solution, and hot-dry condition at 50 degrees C. Furthermore, the environments included two typical harsh field conditions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The performance of the GFRP bars was evaluated by conducting tensile tests on the bars after different exposure periods. Scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the degradation mechanism of the bars. After 18 months of exposure, the test results showed that at 50 degrees C the tap water and alkaline solution had the maximum harmful effect on the tensile strength of the tested GFRP bars. The two field conditions considered in the present study did not show any significant effect on the tensile properties of the bars. The test results also showed that the GFRP bars tested in this study had better resistance to alkalinity and water compared to most of the GFRP bars in the literature. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.