International Workshop on Structural Composites for Infrastructure Application

Lawrence Technological University, Southfield MI

Investigators

Abstract

The issue of repairing and upgrading the existing civil engineering infrastructure has been one of great importance for over a decade. Deterioration of bridge decks, beams, girders and columns, buildings, parking structures and others may be attributed to ageing, environmentally induced degradation, poor initial design and/or construction, lack of maintenance, and to accidental events such as earthquakes. Recent developments related to materials, methods and techniques for structural strengthening have been various. One of today's state-of-the-art techniques is the use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. There are also many applications in the area of using prestressed FRP tendons and FRP bars to reinforce bridges and structures. Structural engineers view the use of advanced composites as highly promising in the construction industry currently. The Workshop is organized on the premise that the exchange of existing American and foreign experience in the area of utilizing FRP products in repairing existing structures is beneficial for both parties. The workshop will focus on the repair of ancient structures using FRP. Research related to composite materials has been carried out in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Egypt, and Japan. However, there has been little communication between the American, Japanese, and European researchers. There is a need for an international exchange of advanced experience to increase the research efficiency and to insure that the United States is at the leading edge of engineering research. Experts from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East will identify the topics for future cooperative projects in the area of repair, reinforcing, and rehabilitation of structures using FRP. Site visits will be organized to historical structures in Egypt in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture to investigate the possibility of using FRP to repair monuments and historical structures (several hundred years old). In order to ensure a productive workshop, the expected participation will be about 90 specialists from universities, research centers, bridge authorities and consulting companies from around the world. Each participant will submit a written contribution on one of the topics. The discussions, additional contributions and final recommendations will be included in the Workshop Proceedings. The Proceedings will be widely distributed in the US to researchers and code writers. The presentations will also be made available at various professional meetings and conferences (ASCE, ACI) as well as in professional journals. The Workshop is scheduled for December 16-17, 2003, in Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is the capital of Egypt and is the largest city in Africa.