An Investigation on Durability of Mixture of Alkali-Resistant Glass and Epoxy for Civil Engineering Application

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer(GFRP) rebars are easily deteriorated by concrete alkalinity. This paper focuses on the improvement of durability of newly developed GFRP rebars exposed to chemical attack in the alkaline environment of concrete. The milled E-glass fibers which are mixed in surface resin can increase bond strength between GFRP rebars and the concrete. In this study, the effect of milled alkali-resistant glass fibers (milled AR glass) and milled E-glass in the ribs on the durability of GFRP rebar is investigated through short span shear tests and moist absorption tests of the bare rebar. To accelerate the effect of the alkalinity, aging procedures were applied to test specimens. According to the test results, lower mix ratio of milled fibers in the ribs contributed to more durability than if higher mix ratio was used. This was due to more voids and defects in ribs with high mix ratio of milled fibers. GFRP rebars with milled AR glass fibers did not show great improvement in ISS strength compared to those with milled E-glass fibers. These results indicate that the milled glass fibers works as a reinforcing material, but optimum mix ratio to minimize causing of defects and voids in the manufacturing process should be determined. (C) 2011 published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of [name organizer]