UK and Sweden universities build bridges while strengthening them
Swedish- and British-based researchers are investigating fibre-reinforced cementitious mortars to strengthen bridges.
The first ever collaboration between the University of Nottingham, UK, and Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, is looking at how different temperatures and accumulated damage can affect the performance of fibre-reinforced cementitious mortars.
Climate Adaptation for REsilient Bridges (CARE) is examining FRCM use in bridges, with this new generation of composites designed to replace non-corrosive fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites.
According to the team, they are compatible with concrete, breathable, resistant to fire, applicable on wet surfaces, sustainable, reversible, low-carbon and cost-effective as they are at least 30% cheaper than FRPs.
The project has been set up as bridges are not always replacable - for economic or environmental reasons - with the only viable solution left to strengthen them. According to CARE, the cost of repairing bridges in the UK alone due to corrosion damange is estimated to cost millions of pounds.
Dr Georgia Themrou, Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering at the University of Nottingham, says, 'Although experimental evidence has demonstrated the efficiency of FRCMs when it comes to improving undamaged structures, it has not been tested on more complex structural systems with accumulated damage or that have been subject to seasonal temperature changes.'
