Seismic and Fire Behaviour of FRP Strengthened Reinforced High Strength Concrete Structures—An Overview

The development of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) can be traced to the expanded use of composites after the World War II in the early 1940s, though the use of FRP was considered seriously for use as reinforced concrete until 1960s. Fibre Reinforced Polymers are well recognized as an effective seismic retrofit/fire resistant material for existing concrete buildings. This strengthening domain in civil engineering, a critical part of overall lifecycle aspect of any infrastructure, is more than two decades old and several successful projects have been installed using FRP as reported in several literatures. Many of these retrofitted buildings have experienced significant earthquakes and performed as designed, validating the effectiveness of the FRP and technology. Extensive laboratory testing and actual earthquakes have led to the growth of dependable design methodologies and guidelines for FRP to be used by the engineering fraternity. FRP materials have a high strength-to-weight ratio, which make them a perfect material for seismic retrofit. Although they do not add significant mass to a structure, they certainly enhance the capacity of various structural components. This also avoids the mandate of performing the analysis again without appreciable weight change and further consequential effect on foundation after due strengthening. FRP possesses innate characteristics to deal with fire and heated environment. This article is an attempt to highlight some of the features of FRP Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Structures from both Seismic and Fire viewpoints.