This paper presented a durability experimental study for thin basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) mesh reinforced cementitious plates under indoor and marine environment. The marine environment was simulated by wetting/drying cycles (wetting in salt water and drying in hot air). After 12 months of exposure, the effects of the chloride on the tensile and bending behaviors of the thin plate were investigated. In addition to the penetration of salt water, the chloride in the thin plate could be also from the sea sand since it is a component of the plate. Experimental results showed that the effect of the indoor exposure on the tensile capacity of the plate is not pronounced, while the marine exposure reduced the tensile capacity significantly. The bending capacity of the thin plates was remarkably reduced by both indoor and marine environmental exposure, in which the effect of the marine environment is more severe. The tensile capacity of the meshes extracted from the thin plates was tested, as well as the meshes immersed in salt solution for 30, 60, and 90 days. The test results confirmed that the chloride is the reason of the BFRP mesh deterioration. Moreover, as a comparison, the steel mesh reinforced thin plate was also tested and it has a similar durability performance.
Cracked reinforced concrete (RC) beams can be repaired effectively by using externally bonded CFRP sheets. However, when the strengthened beams are subjected to marine environment, long-term performance will be affected by the material and the interface deterioration of concrete and CFRP. Therefore, to evaluate the service life of the strengthened beams, this study investigates the behavior of precracked RC beams strengthened with CFRP sheets exposed to marine environment. Accelerated ageing experiments were carried out by exposing specimens to cyclic wetting in sea water and drying in 40°C air for 3 months and 6 months, respectively. After the environment exposure, four-point bending test was conducted and then the diffusion of chlorides in the strengthened beams was analysed. The results show that the bonding behavior of the adhesive was weakened and the ductility of the strengthened beams was slightly reduced due to the marine environment. But there is no obvious strength difference between the strengthened beams suffered from marine environment for 3 months and 6 months. Besides, the precracks in the RC beams accelerated the chloride diffusion, while CFRP bonding reduced the chloride penetration. In addition, NEL method was employed to validate the effect of the cracks on chloride permeability. The results showed that the chloride diffusion coefficients increased with the depth of the cracks.
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