Fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) strengthening systems are mainly used to retrofit existing and deficient structural elements. Fire performance is pointed out as a critical factor that requires more research before FRP can be used with confidence in strengthening applications. Specifications and design guidelines limit the use, increase the load factor or limit the desired strength enhancement in order to meet fire hazard [1]. There are still no design guidelines available for FRP-reinforced or strengthened concrete structures under fire conditions which is one of the major threats to buildings and other structures. Experimental studies were carried out for FPR-strengthened RC members under elevated temperatures or fire byseveral researchers [2]. Few studies in the published literature addressed numerical modeling to predict the performance of FRP-strengthened RC members subjected to fire and the heat transfer through the different insulation layers during fire exposure [3]. Therefore, more research work is needed to efficiently model the performance of FRP-strengthened structures under elevated temperatures, in order to enable the analyst and designers to accurately predict the fire endurance and design efficiently the thermal insulation layers for such structures. |
