TOUGHNESS-DURABILITY OF GLASS FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE SYSTEMS.

Glass fiber reinforced concrete panels (GFRC) are increasingly being used by the precast industry for cladding panels of new construction and for retrofit projects (1987 volume: 100 million dollars). The widespread development of GFRC has resulted from the development of alkali-resistant glass fibers which have an improved resistance to the alkaline environment that exists in portland cement-based matrices. In spite of the improved alkali resistance, long-term weathering tests reveal that GFRC panels may exhibit reduced tensile strength and a loss of ductility with aging. The strength reduction is currently explicitly accounted for in design recommendations. For many applications of GFRC, their ductility is at least as important as strength (e. g. , connections, differential movements) in determining their service lives. This review paper addresses some aspects of long-term ductility of GFRC systems.