Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is a type of composite materials consist of carbon fiber and polymer. The carbon fiber provides the strength and stiffness while the polymer acts as cohesive matrix to protect and held the fibers together. CFRP are manufactured as a strips, bars, and sheets using different production technique like filament winding, pultrusion, and hand lay-up processes.CFRP materials possess good rigidity, high strength, low density, corrosion resistance, vibration resistance, high ultimate strain, high fatigue resistance, and low thermal conductivity. They are bad conductors of electricity and are non-magnetic.
The CFRP provide remedies for many problems associated with the deterioration and strengthening of infrastructure such as bridges and buildings. Using CFRP reinforcing bars in new concrete can eliminate potential corrosion problems and substantially increase a member’s structural strength.
Effective use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer could significantly increase the life of structures, minimizing the maintenance requirements. Carbon fibers have also been used as reinforcement for ablative plastics and for reinforcements for lightweight, high strength and high stiffness structures.
Properties of CFRP
• Alkali resistant.
• Corrosion resistance that is why it is used for corrosion control and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures.
• It has low thermal conductivity.
• CFRP has high strength to weight ratio and hence it eliminates requirements of heavy construction equipment and supporting structures.
• It needs short curing time. Therefore, the application takes a shorter time. This reduces the project duration and down time of the structure to a great extent.
• CFRP possess high ultimate strain
• High fatigue resistance. So, they do not degrade, which easily alleviates the requirement of frequent maintenance.
• CFRP is bad conductor of electricity and is non-magnetic.
• Due to its lightweight, prefabricated components in CFRP can be easily transported. This thus encourage prefabricated construction, reduce site erection labor cost and capital investment requirements.
