Chapter 50: Polymer fibre composites: an introduction

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the use of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) in the civil engineering industry throughout the world. Specifically from a UK perspective, but also from a worldwide point of view, the involvement with this material is largely as a result of innovations in structural and civil engineering FRP systems. This interest commenced after the surveys of 1974 and 1978, undertaken by the National Economic Development Office, which reported on several poorly performing projects and the low-technology, low-skill and labour-intensive civil engineering industry. In response to this, the government commissioned Sir M. Latham to lead a year-long investigation, which was sponsored by industry; later Sir J. Egan produced a further report. The main tenets of the reports were that the industry needed practical steps to improve productivity and profits and decrease quality failings and accidents. This chapter discusses the results of this investigation, the development of fibre-matrix composites over the past three decades and the areas where the FRP material is currently used in construction.