9800561 Engel The construction industry can benefit from the novel FRP architectures and structures that result from the flexible manufacturing processes associated with the composite manufacturing industries. Certain methods, like filament winding, pultrusion and fiber placement lend themselves to the production of grid or cage structures that are well suited as reinforcements in beams and columns. The project goal is to extend the previous work of a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) wherein 2-D grids were designed, manufactured and tested in an effort to understand the effect of joint architecture on the ability of the grid to transmit load. Various architectures with different degrees of interconnectivity between layers and between longitudinal and transverse grid elements were manufactured and tested in concrete via pullout tests as well as bending tests. That initial work will be extended to investigate the effects of other design parameters, in particular combined loading (flexure and shear) with emphasis shifting from grid joint architecture to overall grid structure. The investigation will include the following tasks: Task 1: Development of design procedures for 2- dimensional grid reinforced beams subjected to flexure and shear. Task 2: Development of 2-dimensional grid configurations to resist flexure and shear. Task 3: Identification and implementation of a field trial of FRP grid reinforcement. Task 4: Three dimensional grids will be formed from the 2-D grids, and 3-D grids will be produced as a continuous cage. The education plan focuses on establishing an FRP grid database, and encouraging composite manufacturers to continue their development of products relevant to the reinforced concrete industry. ***
