SFD Engineers Pvt Ltd. lead the way in carbon fibre composite strengthening.
Many old, and sometimes new, concrete, steel, timber, or cast-iron structures, for various reasons include elements that no longer provide sufficient load-bearing capacity and therefore require some form of strengthening. This could be because of a change of use, increase in loading, corroding, or damaged reinforcement, deterioration, alteration, or long-term fatigue. There are various methods that can be used to strengthen structures and buildings, but the most common is composite strengthening using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites.
CFRP composites are a combination of fibres (carbon, or aramid)) and polymer based resin (epoxy) which transfers the stress between the fibres and protects them. Other fibres and resins can be used such as aramid and glass fibres and polyester resins. This combination of materials forms a structural composite which is both lightweight and durable. Compared to steel plates the equivalent carbon fibre plates are 15% of the cross sectional area and 3% of the dead load. CFRP composites provide sustainable engineering solutions and have been successfully used in many industries for over 60 year
There are two methods for composite strengthening;
- Carbon fibre plate bonding where the composite plates, which are usually carbon fibre reinforced, are manufactured off site, and then bonded to the structure using epoxy adhesives, and
- FRP wrap where the dry fibre fabric is either rolled into the wet resin on the structures surface (dry lay) or the resin is applied to the fibre fabric which is then applied to the structure (wet lay).