Composites for structural strengthening, repair, rehabilitation, and retrofit

The demolition and reconstruction costs of outdated or deteriorated structures often exceed the benefits due to high costs and time consumption. Retrofitting to rehabilitate and upgrade these structures is a viable alternative. Composite materials, such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) and engineered cementitious composites (ECC), have shown outstanding material performances suitable for various retrofitting applications in construction, automotive, marine, and aviation industries. This chapter addresses different retrofitting methods to strengthen, rehabilitate, and repair existing structures using various composite materials. The issues arising from interfacial bonding, long-term durability, and fire performance of composites are also discussed. Additional topics such as designing methods and numerical analysis based on material selection and configuration to further support retrofitting techniques are highlighted. Overall, this chapter covers the currently available techniques for strengthening, rehabilitation, repair, and retrofit, as well as the outlook on future developments.