80 Composite materials offer a new range of products to the prestressing industry. The properties of the comp,osites may be custom tailored to particular project requirements to extend the service life of the structures or to protect against certain corrosive environments. Synthetic materials such as glass, aramid, and carbon fibers may be manufactured into high strength composite rods which are adaptable for prestressing applications. The nature and use of composite materials in the prestressing industry is evolving and is currently moving from the experimental state to prototypical installations. Demonstration projects using glass and aramid reinforced tendons have been constructed. Technical issues remain to be resolved regarding handling, anchorage, design, long term dependence on epoxy resins, and the fiber behavior of these materials. This paper examines the role of composites in the prestressing industry. Candidate fibers are identified, existing research is discussed, potential liabilities of composites are assessed, installed structures are described, and design considerations are presented.
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Charles W. Dolan (1990) studied this question.