A Student Team at University of Bahrain Use CFRP-reinforced concrete to withstand the effects of earthquakes

Sakhir – Bahrain University (Khadijah Abdusalem)

15  July 2024    

A student team at University of Bahrain found that the use of CFRP-reinforced concrete is more capable of withstanding the effects of earthquakes compared to ordinary steel-reinforced concrete.

The team of students consisting of: Mohamed Naser Abdullah, Abdulaziz Baqer Shehab, and Husain Ashoor Farhan prepared the project under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Ajmal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. The project was titled “Performance-Based Design Using Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars”.

Student Mohamed Abdullah explained that the project compared two strutter designs for two buildings, the first design used concrete reinforced with regular steel bars to design the structure of the building, while the second design used concrete reinforced with rods consisting of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP).

The student team simulated the weights on the building to measure the performance of the two structers under the influence of earthquakes, as the building reinforced with CFRP bars saw less displacement compared to the building reinforced with regular steel bars. Displacement is the amount of horizontal movement of a point on the highest floor of a building.

Abdulaziz Shehab stressed that conventional steel is the economic option, as the cost analysis showed a significant difference in price between conventional steel and CFRP. The results showed that on average, CFRP beams were found to be 17 times more expensive than steel beams, while CFRP columns exhibited an average cost that was 24 times higher than columns reinforced with steel bars.

Husain Ashour pointed out that CFRP are one of the most popular potential options to replace traditional steel bars, to solve known problems in traditional steel bars, such as: corrosion resistance, short circuit prevention, and longer life span. In addition, fiber reinforced polymer bars have greater strength and lower density compared to steel bars.

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