Effect of sustained load and seawater and sea sand concrete environment on durability of basalt- and glass-fibre reinforced polymer (B/GFRP) bars

Recently, in responding to the resource shortage and steel corrosion, the combination of seawater and sea sand concrete (SWSSC) and fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) bars was proposed to replace the traditional reinforced concrete structures in civil engineering. For FRP bars in the real service condition of concrete structure, the synergistic effect of sustained load and corrosion environment needs to be considered. This paper presents an investigation on the durability of basalt- and glass-fibre reinforced polymer bars exposed to a SWSSC environment under different sustained stress levels. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the degradation mechanism of FRP bars.