Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Rebar

 
Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar serves to replace traditional steel rebar. GFRP rebar is best used in aquatic environments, where traditional steel reinforcing would be structurally compromised due to corrosion.

GFRP rebar is used less frequently than traditional steel rebar, due to its high up-front cost. However, its lack of corrosion when exposed to water leads to lower life-cycle costs due to the decreased amount of maintenance required.

Benefits and Drawbacks:

GFRP rebar has many advantages over steel rebar, such as those listed below:

• Corrosion resistance
• Thermal + electrical insulation
• 20x fatigue resistance
• 4x lighter
• 2x tensile strength
• Retains tensile and elastic modulus in high pH environments
• Lower maintenance costs, especially when used in structures that interact with water (i.e. bridges).

Drawbacks of GFRP over steel rebar include brittle and shear failures as opposed to ductile failure, and a higher up front cost. However, the higher up-front cost is negated overtime with the lower maintenance costs. Brittle failure as opposed to ductile means that the failure will be more sudden, giving less warning to those interacting with the structures.

Commercial Readiness:

GFRP Rebar is commercially viable and already used globally in commercial applications. The existing products correspond with the existing design codes:

Canada:

• CAN/CSA-S6-06
• CAN/CSA-S806-02

USA:

1. ACI 440.1R-06
2. ACI 440R-07
3. ACI 440.5-08
4. ACI 440.6-08
5. AASHTO GFRP-1

GFRP Rebar is increasingly used in the construction industry every year compared to traditional rebar use.