Low temperature behaviour of CFRP prestressed concrete beams

The corrosion of steel prestressing tendons exposed to deicing salts is increasingly becoming a significant problem in Canada. New fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) materials with high strength-to-weight ratios and noncorrosive characteristics are strong alternatives to solve this problem. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is one of the most promising among available FRPs. Nevertheless, for CFRP rods to gain acceptance in Canada and other cold regions, their behaviour at low temperatures must be investigated. This paper describes an investigation of the feasibility of using CFRP LEADLINE rods to prestress concrete beams. The results of an experimental program on the short-term behaviour of CFRP prestressed concrete beams at low temperature (−27 °C) are discussed. A simple analytical model is used to predict the flexural response of CFRP beams at low temperature. The experimental results agree well with the analytical predictions. The behaviour of the CFRP tendons is shown to be unaffected by short-term exposure to this low temperature.