A comprehensive study on enhancing the fire resistance of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete columns and slabs

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This project aims to provide a holistic investigation of Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete members in fire, namely columns and slabs. This research will have three main experimental phases: (1) standard pullout tests on MST bars in an environmental chamber; (2) intermediate and full-scale standard fire tests will be conducted on GFRP-reinforced concrete slabs with intumescent coating at the ends of the slabs; and (3) a full-scale column entirely reinforced with GFRP bars will be tested under standard fire for the first time in North America. To date, the loss and degradation of bond strength of FRP reinforcing bars at high temperatures has been identified as the main cause of the inferior fire performance of FRP-reinforced concrete (RC) elements compared to steel RC ones. The test results have revealed that if temperatures at both ends of an FRP bar remain below its glass transition temperature the bond failure of the FRP RC member will significantly improve. To achieve this, the anchorage zones in FRP RC members are recommended to be protected from direct fire exposures to delay the temperature propagation into the embedded FRP reinforcing bars at the anchorage zones. Recently, the application of intumescent coatings with very thin layers has shown promising results with delayed temperature propagation into the concrete. The thin-film intumescent coatings greatly protect structural elements against severe temperatures that can occur in fires. The intumescent coatings are an easy-to-apply and cost-effective alternative to conventional passive fire protection layers. The previously mentioned tests will be used to examine the performance of GFRP reinforced concrete columns, as well as the behaviour of GFRP stirrups and GFRP longitudinal bars during a fire. Through this partnership, MST Rebar will be confident in the fire resistance of GFRP RC columns and offer practical measures to enhance the fire resistance of GFRP RC slabs. Canadian codes, such as CSA-S806, are specifically developed to promote GFRP RC structures. The outcome of this research will provide knowledge in developing provisions for CSA-S806 in Canada.