PULTRUDED GFRP COMPOSITE REBARS FOR CIVIL CONSTRUCTION: PHYSICAL, THERMAL, AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars have emerged as an alternative composite material to compete with the durability of reinforced concrete, meeting future demands in applications such as civil construction and urbanization, and featuring weight reduction and resistance to extreme weather without loss of mechanical properties. This study focused on the evaluation of pultruded glass fiber/Epoxy and glass fiber/Polyester REBAR. Three different pultruded profiles were investigated by a set of mechanical tests, physical characterization, and thermal analysis to ensure the quality and reliability of these products. In addition, the properties and characteristics of the composite material were compared with the current metallic materials used in reinforced concrete. The pultruded composites evaluation consisted of constituent content, relative density, moisture absorption, flammability resistance, DMA, TMA, DSC, longitudinal tensile resistance, axial compression resistance, shear stress resistance, concrete pull-off adhesion strength and longitudinal tensile resistance after alkalinity exposure. The results indicated that both the pultruded composites REBAR are in accordance with structural and chemical requirements for reinforced-concrete applications.