Properties of carbon fibre: its use in structural reinforcement

Carbon fibre is a lightweight material that is increasingly in demand in construction for repairing concrete structures. Factors such as its low weight, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion allow its widespread use in industries such as aerospace, as well as in military applications, motor racing, sports, and civil engineering.

Its potential and its physical, chemical and mechanical properties are enormous in all these areas. In the construction sector, the properties of carbon fibre are excellent for the reinforcement of structures. In this article, you will discover its main characteristics and its use in construction.

Thus, among them, we can highlight the advantages of using carbon fibre systems to reinforce concrete, wood and steel structures. Unlike steel, carbon fibre reinforcements are very light and have a high mechanical tensile strength.

They can be applied easily and economically and, in addition, carbon fibre does not corrode and the reinforced structures have a long life and low maintenance cost.

For the reinforcement of structures, Molins has carbon fibre reinforcement systems, both laminated and textile. These systems reinforce concrete, brickwork, wood or steel structures with maximum guarantees.

We have the PROPAM® CARBOCOMP reinforcement system. It consists of CFRP composites(carbon fibre, woven and laminated types) and certified structural adhesives that are used as structural reinforcement of reinforced concrete, wood, steel or brick elements in walls, slabs, vaults, beams, for various reasons.

The need for the use of Reinforcement Systems is mainly motivated by structural changes such as the elimination of supporting elements (walls, pillars…); the opening of openings in floor slabs for installations, stairs, etc.; the increase of the bearing and shear capacity; the loss of resistance in the reinforcement…

Another possible cause could be changes in use: changes in regulations or function; increased service loads; installation of heavy machinery in buildings; increased traffic on bridges or the occurrence of vibrations in the structure, earthquake reinforcement, etc.

Along with all these factors, we can also find others of great importance that can be explained by the ageing of the materials that make up the structure; the repair of damage, impacts and the reduction of the section of the reinforcements due to corrosion; errors in the design or execution, etc.

At Molins, we have a technical team that can advise you on all our solutions, characterised by their quality and maximum performance.

Characteristics of carbon fibre:

As mentioned above, PROPAM® CARBOCOMP is a system based on the use of unidirectional carbon fibre laminates (CFRP) with high mechanical resistance to traction, for the reinforcement of concrete, steel and wood structures. It has DIT no. 603 R/19, issued by the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja.

Our wide range of PROPAM® CARBOCOMP carbon fibre sheets are bonded to the substrate to be reinforced with the certified structural adhesive, BETOPOX® BL, which is easy to apply and stands out for its excellent usability and adhesion properties.

PROPAM® CARBOCOMP TEXTIL is a system based on the use of unidirectional carbon fibre fabric (CFRP) with high mechanical tensile strength, for the reinforcement of concrete, brickwork and wood structures.

It is bonded to the substrate to be reinforced with the certified structural epoxy resin BETOPOX® CARBO, which stands out for its excellent impregnation and adhesion properties.

We highlight some of the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the PROPAM® CARBOCOMP System:

Mechanical properties:

• High tensile strength that can greatly exceed that of materials such as steel (ten times higher than steel).
• Very light in comparison to many other reinforcing materials (negligible weight in structural calculation)
• It can be adapted to the shape of the element to be reinforced.
• Fatigue resistance means that it can withstand repeated cyclic loading without significant degradation of its mechanical properties.

Physical Properties:

• Dimensional stability does not tend to expand or contract significantly, i.e. it retains its shape under temperature variations.
• Versatile: various widths available and length adjustable to each element without joints and suitable for compression, shear or tensile reinforcement of elements.
• Its minimal thickness and flexibility allows the original shape and appearance of the structure to be maintained.

Chemical properties:

• Corrosion resistance, making it suitable for applications where structures will be exposed.
• Chemically inert and does not react with most common chemicals.

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