1ITH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPOSITE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Evaluation of the Elastic Modulus of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer "GFRP" Bars Exposed to Severe Environment FARID ABED! and NOURAN ELMESSALAME” ' Civil Engineering Department, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 26666, UAF. e-mail: fabed@aus.edu * Civil Engineering Department, American University of Sharjah, 26666, UAE, Abstract Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer “GFRP” bars have made a great impact on the engincering technology and are used mainly for anti-corrosion purposes. However, there is a need for the evaluation of the long-term durability performance of GFRP composites under harsh. environmental conditions. In this study, a number of GFPR bars, having diameters of 24.2 mm, 30.6 mm, and 36.6 mm, were subjected to two different exposures: high temperature (direct sun exposure) and combined exposure of high temperature (sun) and sea water. After six months of exposure, tensile tests were conducted to investigate the durability condition in terms of the degradation expected in the elastic modulus of these GFRP bars. Keywords glass-fiber-reinforced polymer, bond-ependent coefficient 1, Introduction Corrosion of steel reinforcement is a main cause of structural deterioration in concrete, and therefore the use of fiber reinforced polymers has emerged as a solution to this problem. The advantages of GFRP bars include their light weight, corrosion resistance and high strength, in addition to low initial cost as compared to carbon FRP bars [1]. A study has shown that 417 days of exposure of GFRP bars (of 9.5 mm diameter) to de-ionized water and alkaline conditions under sustained tensile loading of 25% to 38% of the ultimate tensile strength yielded almost negligible RP bars of. 12.7 mm diameter when tested at severe temperatures of -40°C to 50°C showed no change in their effects on the modulus of elasticity [1]. Another study showed that sand-coated tensile strengths and flexural modulus of elasticity; however, when the bars were tested at high ‘temperatures of around 120°C, the tensile strength and flexural modulus of elasticity of the bars dropped significantly [2]. Debaiky et al. considered GFRP bats of three different diameters (16, saEvaluation of the Elastic Modulus of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer "GFRP" Bars Exposed to Severe Environment: Abed, F. and ElMessalami, N 12.7 and 9,5 mm) which were exposed to the combined effects of high temperatures (45°C to 73°C), alkaline or de-ionized water medium and constant sustained tension for durations of 1 to 4 ‘months, and the results showed that there was no significant loss in the elastic modulus of all bars [3]. Other research has shown that GFRP bars exposed to high temperatures of up to 70°C and a concrete environment of 3% salinity for 1 year showed negligible losses in their modulus of elasticity [4]. AL-Salloum et al., studied the tensile properties of 12. mm GFRP bars under ten different combinations of harsh environmental conditions including high temperature (50°C), alkaline and saline solutions for durations of 6, 12 and 18 months. The test results showed that there was no significant effect on the modulus of elasticity of the bars with only slight decreases ranging from 0% to 5% [5] 2. Experimental Program In this research, tensile tests were conducted on the GERP bars to determine their elastic modulus after exposure to harsh environmental conditions. Several samples of GFRP bars having three different diameters of 24.2 mm, 30.6 mm, and 36.6 mm were considered. The two exposure conditions consist of high temperature (direct sun exposure) and combined exposure of high temperature (sun) and sea water. Six GFRP bars were tested per exposure. The GFRP bars were supplied by Pultron Ltd. Exposure Conditions ‘The two types of exposures were conducted during the period between May and October which ‘usually represents the hottest period during the year (up to SOC® under sun) in the United Arab Emirates. A summary of the proposed experimental program, addressing the exposure conditions, is shown in Figure I. The first exposure condition, which involves only high temperature (direct, sun exposure), was simulated by placing the GFRP bars outdoors for 6 months. The second exposure condition, which involves the combined effect of high temperature and sea water, was simulated using the American University of Sharjah (AUS) sustainable work station which simulates cyclic sea water splash zone, direct UAE high summer temperature and high humidity. These conditions represent the harshest possible environment, and therefore ensure that specimens that can survive these conditions can most likely survive any other environment. The AUS sustainable work station incorporates two large tanks that are fully automated and controlled, and a pump. ‘The pump is used to move water from the lower tank containing sea ‘water, where the GFRP bars are placed, to the upper tank. The sea water then moves back to the ower tank by the force of gravity. The two tanks are exposed to direct UAE summer temperature and are also linked to AUS local weather station which continuously monitors and records1ITH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPOSITE ‘SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, variations in temperature, humidity, rain and wind. The solution in which the bars were stored had a salinity of 4%, and the samples were subjected to wetting and drying in addition to temperature cycles (25°C to 40 °C). son ERP ae ‘Build Specimens meters, 24.2 mm, Exposure months exposure then tests for 306mm & 36m 6 months exp [7] istic modutos ‘Accelerated Marsh Conditions Fig. 1 Experimental program and exposure methodology = Outside Temperature = Tank Temperature Sas 230 225 50 E 15, 10 August September October Fig. 2 Monthly Variation of Temperature during the Exposure of Bars ‘The average monthly variations in temperature and humidity recorded during the GFRP bar ‘exposure ate shown in Figures 2 and 3 respectively. Figure 2 shows that the minimum tank and outside temperatures were around 28°C and 36°C, respectively, during the month of October, and 5Evaluation of the Elastic Modulus of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer "GFRP" Bars Exposed to Severe Environment: Abed, F. and ElMessalami, N. the maximum tank and outside temperatures were around 37° © and 46°C, respectively, during the ‘month of July. Figure 3 shows that the minimum humidity was around 50% during June, and that the maximum humidity was around 71% during August. Figure 4 shows the GFRP bars after the 6 months of exposure. 80 70 60 50 2 1 June July August September October Humidity (%) sees Fig. 3 Monthly Variation of Humidity during the Exposure of Bars Tensile Tests One of the indicators for evaluating long-term durability performance of GRP bars exposed to harsh environmental conditions is the mechanical change in the elastic modulus. The ASTM Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Pultruded Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Rod ‘was adopted in the proposed experimental program using the Universal Testing Machine (UTM) available in AUS labs. Strain gauges were used to measure the tensile strains in the GFRP reinforcing bars, and the diameter of each GFRP bar was reduced to some extent at the middle of the samples to form a smooth surface for the strain gauges, Extensometers and strain gauges were installed along the gauge lengths of the samples to accurately measure the strains at the mid span of the bats, Nevertheless, proper steel grips were not used along the ends of the GFRP samples due to the large bar sizes and since the main aim is to only evaluate the modulus of elasticity of the GFRP bars. Thus, a thin aluminum layer was used for the bar grips in the UTM to prevent any slippage or crushing, The GFRP bars were tested to about 15% of the ultimate load which was, enough to provide the initial stress-strain relationship needed to estimate the elastic modulus. The stress in the GFRP bars was measured using the tensile load recorded by the UTM and using1ITH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPOSITE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY the actual cross-sectional area of the bar at the gauge length. Figure 4 shows some photos taken uring the tensile tests Fig. 4 Samples of GFRP bars for tensile tests 3. Results and Discussion ‘A summary of the average elastic modulus values for the three different GFRP bar sizes are shown in Table 1 for each exposure condition. The control sample had an average modulus of elasticity value of between 50 to 52 GPa. The results show a maximum of 5% degradation in the elastic modulus of the GFRP bars when exposed to the harsh environmental conditions, and this, is in agreement with results from literature that shows the modulus of elasticity of GFRP bars is not significantly affected by harsh environmental conditions [1-5 ‘Table 1 Summary of modulus of elasticity for GFRP bars for the two exposures GERP bar size Average Modulus of Blasticity (GPa) (mm) Sun ‘Sea Water and Sun 22 493 479 30.6 S14 50.5 36.6 923 51.9 5 orEvaluation of the Elastic Modulus of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer "GFRP" Bars Exposed to Severe Environment: Abed, F. and ElMessalami, N 4, Conclusion The results have shown that the modulus of elasticity values of the GFRP bars were not significantly affected by the exposure to the severe environmental conditions of high temperature and sea water, as compared to the control specimens. A maximum of 5% degradation was recorded for GFRP bars exposed to Sea Water and Sun, References 1, G. Nkurunziza, B. Benmokrane, A. S, Debaiky, and R. Masmoudi, "Effect of sustained load and environment on long-term tensile properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcing bars," ACI Structural Journal, vol. 102, no. 4, 2008. 2, M. Robert and B. Benmokrane, "Behavior of GFRP reinforcing bars subjected to extreme temperatures," Journal of Composites for Construction, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 353-360, Aug. 2010, 3. A.S, Debaiky, G. Nkurunziza, B. Benmokrane, and P. Cousin, "Residual tensile properties of GERP reinforcing bars after loading in severe environments," Journal of Composites for Construction, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 370-380, Oct. 2006. 4, -M, Robert and B. Benmokrane, "Combined effects of saline solution and moist concrete on long-term durability of GFRP reinforcing bars," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 38, pp. 274-284, Jan, 2013. 5. Y. A. Al-Salloum, S. El-Gamal, T. H. Almusallam, 8. H. Alsayed, and M. Agel, "Effect of harsh environmental conditions on the tensile properties of GFRP bars,” Composites Part B. Engineering, vol. 45, no. |, pp. 835-844, Feb. 2013. se