FRP composites, available in different forms (e.g., laminates, face sheets or webs of sandwich panels), are increasingly being adopted in civil engineering and construction applications. This is largely due to their resistance to corrosion, lightweight nature, and high strength-to-weight ratio.
However, empirical evidence from case studies and durability tests, primarily in the automotive, aerospace, and naval industries, indicates that FRP composites are vulnerable to degradation caused by moisture, chemicals, temperature, and UV radiation.
In this context, the Durable-FRP project (DOI) aims to address the knowledge gaps regarding the durability of FRP composites in civil engineering applications by providing: (i) in-depth understanding of the durability of FRPs used in civil engineering; (ii) a wealth of durability test data, from laboratory and in-service conditions; (iii) an open-access database of durability test results; (iv) degradation models for various environmental conditions; and (v) codified recommendations for the durability design of FRP composites.
Objectives
This website is designed to provide an open-access database of durability test results for FRP composites used in civil engineering. Its goal is to support the development of well-informed durability design recommendations and to encourage collaboration among research teams and the industry allowing users to:
- Understand how the residual properties of FRP composites evolve, as a function of the time of exposure to varying environmental conditions, by applying filters according to various criteria to conduct stochastic analyses;
- Submit new durability data for inclusion in the database, providing detailed information about materials, test methods and results.
Database
The Durable-FRP database includes comprehensive information for each data set, detailing the materials, test methods, and other relevant parameters to ensure the reliability of the data. Various types of FRP composites with different resins, fibre reinforcements, and fibre contents have been considered, focusing on structural applications in civil engineering and construction. The test results encompass both laboratory and in-situ field tests, covering a wide range of mechanical and thermomechanical properties.