To avoid steel erosion GFRP rebars proposed for durability in construction

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH)’s Prof S Suriya Prakash’s CASTCON Lab has developed a glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars to reinforce the functional residual capacity (FRC) system solution to improve the performance of concrete construction under different loading conditions.
The recent report from the International Zinc Association (IZA) reveals that India incurs a loss of 5-7 per cent of its GDP yearly due to steel corrosion. India faces substantial hurdles in protecting steel reinforcement of concrete buildings and bridges from corrosion.
GFRP rebar is increasingly being used as an alternative to steel reinforcement because it doesn’t corrode, is lightweight and is non-conductive. These characteristics make GFRP rebars durable in corrosive environments, easy to transport and install and beneficial for applications in electrical environments such as MRI rooms, rail structures and foundations of transformers and thyristors. Using GFRP rebars in concrete construction can result in reduced maintenance, extended lifespan and lower replacement costs.
The optimum design of concrete elements with GFRP rebars is essential for its effective utilisation and for improving the safety of concrete construction under different loading scenarios. Discrete fibre addition improves the capacity and ductility of GFRP-reinforced concrete elements.
Understanding the effect of fibres in reducing the brittleness of GFRP-reinforced concrete elements is essential to developing cost-effective solutions. The present research focuses on understanding the effectiveness of different types of macro fibres in concrete with varying dosages.
Prof B Murty, Director, IITH, congratulated the research team on the innovative GFRP-reinforced FRC system solution and added, “Increasing the service life of the civil infrastructure is essential for fueling our country’s economic growth. This innovation has once again demonstrated IITH’s zeal to contribute to serving humanity at large”.
Prof Suriya Prakash and Ganapati M Patil, PhD Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, IITH, said, “Combined use of GFRP bars and FRC is an effective solution to improve the strength and deformability for concrete elements that can perform well even in a harsh corrosive environment. We have extensively carried out experiments to understand the behaviour of concrete columns and beams reinforced with different amounts of fibres and GFRP bars to optimise their performance. “