Environmental performances of different carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymer shear strengthening solutions of linear reinforced concrete elements

Abstract

It is well-known at this point that the construction sector has a significant environmental impact. From the tremendous quantities of raw materials consumed to the impressive amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, the built environment is rapidly increasing the negative influence on the Earth’s ecosystem. Therefore, civil engineering specialists should study and promote different solutions characteristic to the construction sector with respect to the environmental dimension of the sustainability concept. One answer to this issue can be represented by the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials. The goal of the present paper consists in analyzing the opportunity of using different carbon and glass fiber reinforced polymers applied by using the wet lay-up technique for shear strengthening of a linear reinforced concrete (RC) element. By considering the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, the study shows that the main environmental advantage of polymeric materials consists in the opportunity of reusing an existing structural element by strengthening it with different FRP solutions. Therefore, composite materials can be regarded as a viable solution for the construction sector’s sustainable development.