Carbon reinforced concrete – General
Due to the good durability and strength properties of carbon and other fibre reinforced polymers (FRP), e.g. based on glass or basalt fibres, FRP reinforced concrete members are nowadays an integral part of research. The subject has also gained acceptance in construction practice with the introduction of the corresponding DAfStb guidelines “Nichtmetallische Bewehrung”.
The two properties – good durability and favourable strength – lead to decisive advantages of FRP reinforced concrete compared to conventionally steel reinforced concrete in terms of a greenhouse gas-reduced and resource-efficient construction method. Due to the high tensile strength, an enormously resource-efficient design of bending components is possible, which can even be increased by the prestressing of such reinforcement (see also CPC research project). In addition, due to the favourable durability properties of the FRP reinforcement, only a small concrete covers are required, which allow the construction of resource-efficient and architecturally sophisticated structures. In addition, it is possible to repair structures for demolition for reasons of load-bearing capacity and serviceability by means of subsequently applied carbon concrete layers.
Due to the wide range currently covered by steel reinforced concrete construction in Germany, there are a large number of open research questions that the Institute of Solid Structures has addressed in various projects.
