Response to fire of concrete structures that incorporate FRP

After more than twenty years of research investigating fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) for reinforcing and strengthening concrete structures, FRPs are now widely recognized as useful materials in the ongoing struggle against infrastructure deterioration. However, applications of FRPs in the field have been limited primarily to bridges, where fire is not a primary consideration during design. Because FRP materials are combustible and susceptible to deterioration of mechanical and bond properties at only modestly elevated temperatures, there is legitimate concern that FRP reinforcing and strengthening systems for concrete will perform poorly in fire. This paper presents a review, of research conducted to investigate the fire performance of FRP materials for infrastructure applications. Also presented is an overview of an ongoing research program that is currently underway at Queen's University and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to investigate the performance in fire of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete slabs, beams, and columns. This work has demonstrated that FRP strengthened concrete structures can be protected to provide sufficient fire endurance. Recommendations for future research are provided.