Static and dynamic properties of retrofitted timber beams using glass fiber reinforced polymers

Abstract

A study on the static and dynamic properties of sawn timber beams reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) is reported in this paper. The experimental program is focused on the behavior of unidirectional wooden slabs, and the main objective is to fulfill the service state limit upon vibrations using GFRP when an architectonical retrofitting project is necessary. Two different typologies of reinforcement were evaluated on pine wood beams: one applied the composite only on the lower side of the beams, while the other also covered half of the beams depth. For the dynamic characterization, the natural frequency, damping ratio, and dynamic elastic modulus were measured using two different techniques: experimental modal analysis upon the whole beams; and bandwidth method using smaller samples of the same material. The static characterization consisted of four point bending tests, where elastic modulus, bending strength and ductility were assessed. The lower composite had better ductility and bending strength. On the other hand, the U-shaped laminate showed higher stiffness but also at a higher material cost. However, it allowed some ductility, i.e. compressive plasticity, even in the presence of hidden knots. Both dynamic techniques gave similar results and were capable of measuring the structure stiffness, even if short samples were used. Finally, the changes on dynamic properties because of the GFRP did not jeopardize the dynamic performance of the reinforced timber beams.