Literature review on blast protection by externally bonded FRP reinforcement

One of today’s state-of-the-art techniques is the use of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites as Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR). This method consists in gluing strips or flexible sheet in the tension zone to increase the resistance capacity or service behaviour of structures. The use of FRP as externally bonded reinforcement has been demonstrated as a very efficient technique mainly for static load conditions. More recently, a number of studies have also been conducted regarding the use of FRP EBR for strengthening critical infrastructure (concrete and masonry) against blast loading. This paper presents a brief literature review of research on FRP EBR and blast loading and describes the efficiency of FRP composites for blast protection