Design and Fabrication of FRP Grids for Aerospace and Civil Engineering Applications

This paper presents the results of experimental and analytical studies of the performance of composite grids as well as fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) grid reinforced concrete columns. FRP grids and FRP grid confined concrete cylinders were instrumented and tested under uniaxial compressive loading. Test variables included types of composite materials and the spacing of composite circular ribs. It is shown that the proposed FRP grids can be constructed by filament winding, the process can be automated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Results show that the proposed FRP grids have substantial ultimate load that make them attractive for use in aerospace applications, and that confinement of concrete by FRP grids can significantly enhance the strength, ductility, and energy absorption capacity of concrete as compared to steel confined concrete. Equations to predict the compressive strength and failure strain were developed. Comparisons between the experimental and analytical results indicate that the proposed models provide satisfactory predictions of ultimate compressive strength and failure strain.