Fibre-reinforced polymer reinforcement enters fib Model Code 2010

Most applications of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) deal with externally bonded reinforcement as a means to repair and strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures or to retrofit RC structures in seismic regions. As internal reinforcement, FRP rebars or (more rarely) prestressing elements, are used in special projects, combining material strength and durability characteristics. Over the last years several national and international design guidelines have become available, specifically for the design and application of FRP strengthened or reinforced concrete structures. These efforts demonstrate clearly the interest in FRP as a novel reinforcing material for concrete construction. Hence, the time was there to introduce FRP reinforcement also in the new Model Code 2010 (MC2010). Main contributions to MC2010 relate to chapters 5.5 “Non-metallic reinforcement” and 6.2 “Bond of non-metallic reinforcement”. The material presented in these two chapters is further elaborated in this contribution