PSI - Issue 64

ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2023) 000 – 000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 29–39 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2023) 000 – 000

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SMAR 2024 – 7th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures Advancements in carbon fiber reinforced polymer tendons for structural rehabilitation Urs Meier a, *, Andreas Winistörfer b a Empa, Swiss Federal Labortories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf, CH 8600, Switzerland b Carbo-Link AG, Undermülistrasse 25, Fehraltorf, CH 8320, Switzerland Abstract Despite initial skepticism, the use of CFRP tendons has significantly evolved since its inception. The paper examines the evolution and application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons for structural rehabilitation, with a focus on their effectiveness in external post-tensioning. CFRP tendons are considered a favorable option for improving structural integrity while reducing environmental impact, due to their high fatigue performance, lightweight, durability, and sustainability. Keywords: structural strengthenig, carbon tendons, lightweight, easy application, sustainability. 1. Introduction The spirit of the 1960’s and 1970’s was in Europe - opposite to USA - bad for technically demanding applications of polymers and fiber composites. This was in remembrance of World War II. “Plastics” were in the mind of most people poor performing replacement materials, and there was no trust in this kind of materials, especially not as structural components for reliable long-term applications. Therefore, in 1975 the Empa Laboratories initiated a R&D program for structural components made of fiber composites, Meier et al. (2010). The goal of this program was to build up confidence in the civil engineering community for these modern materials. The Ibach Bridge near Lucerne, Switzerland, is known for being the earliest examples of the application of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) for external post-strengthening. This bridge strengthening project took place in 1991. Researchers of Empa were the driving force for this application, Meier et al. (1992). This approach provided a SMAR 2024 – 7th International Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures Advancements in carbon fiber reinforced polymer tendons for structural rehabilitation Urs Meier a, *, Andreas Winistörfer b a Empa, Swiss Federal Labortories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf, CH 8600, Switzerland b Carbo-Link AG, Undermülistrasse 25, Fehraltorf, CH 8320, Switzerland Abstract Despite initial skepticism, the use of CFRP tendons has significantly evolved since its inception. The paper examines the evolution and application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons for structural rehabilitation, with a focus on their effectiveness in external post-tensioning. CFRP tendons are considered a favorable option for improving structural integrity while reducing environmental impact, due to their high fatigue performance, lightweight, durability, and sustainability. Keywords: structural strengthenig, carbon tendons, lightweight, easy application, sustainability. 1. Introduction The spirit of the 1960’s and 1970’s was in Europe - opposite to USA - bad for technically demanding applications of polymers and fiber composites. This was in remembrance of World War II. “Plastics” were in the mind of most people poor performing replacement materials, and there was no trust in this kind of materials, especially not as structural components for reliable long-term applications. Therefore, in 1975 the Empa Laboratories initiated a R&D program for structural components made of fiber composites, Meier et al. (2010). The goal of this program was to build up confidence in the civil engineering community for these modern materials. The Ibach Bridge near Lucerne, Switzerland, is known for being the earliest examples of the application of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) for external post-strengthening. This bridge strengthening project took place in 1991. Researchers of Empa were the driving force for this application, Meier et al. (1992). This approach provided a © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +41 58 765 41 00; fax: +41 58 765 11 22. E-mail address: urs.meier@empa.ch

2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.09.205 2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers 2452-3216 © 2024 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of SMAR 2024 Organizers * Corresponding author. Tel.: +41 58 765 41 00; fax: +41 58 765 11 22. E-mail address: urs.meier@empa.ch