Fiber reinforced concrete and glass fibre reinforced polymer systems for the development of more sustainable construction systems

Abstract

The present paper demonstrates the potentialities of combining steel fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) systems for the development of more sustainable construction systems, less sensitive to corrosion, with smaller maintenance costs and higher life cycle. The use of these materials is explored for the development of: 1) pedestrian bridges formed by a deck of a thin layer of SFRSCC supported on pultruded GFRP profiles; 2) prefabricated modular houses formed by the assemblage of sandwich panels, where each panel is constituted by outer-layers of SFRSCC connected by innovative GFRP connectors. A real scale prototype of this type of pedestrian bridges and of this type of modular houses is now installed in the Portuguese cities of Ovar and Rio Maior, respectively. The present paper makes a resume of the research activities conducted for the development of the aforementioned innovative construction systems.