| The durability of pultruded FRP has not been sufficiently clarified even though this material is increasingly being used as a structural material; more studies are required. The authors attempted to determine the durability of pultruded GFRP, which is frequently selected as a structural material for FRP superstructures, and focused on the durability of GFRP under static load. An outdoor exposure test was performed for square-section pipe specimens made of pultruded GFRP under bending load. Jointed specimens were also prepared and exposed. The specimens were retrieved after being subjected to outdoor exposure under bending load for 14 years, and their properties, including the residual mechanical performance, were investigated. The results showed that the bending modulus of no-joint specimens had not changed. The ultimate bending load of no-joint specimens showed a slight decrease from the initial values, yet the residual ultimate bending load was 0.89 of the initial values even in the most severe case (static load of 57% of the initial ultimate load), suggesting that actual durability was still good. Jointed specimens were also tested using similar methods. The elastic modulus of jointed specimens showed some decrease, however the ultimate bending load of these specimens showed larger values than unexposed specimens. |
