Visual Inspection

Externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer (EBFRP) composites can be used to seismically retrofit structures in a simple and economical manner. However, lack of documented evidence of their performance during an earthquake still limits their widespread adoption. In this project, the effects of the November 30, 2018, earthquake (magnitude 7.0) in Anchorage, Alaska, on the performance of EBFRP composite retrofits in reinforced concrete buildings, were studied. This study, for the first time, provides information on the performance of EBFRP retrofitted structures in an earthquake that occurred in the United States.
The main objective of this project is to collect perishable data on EBFRP response during the 2018 Alaskan earthquake to improve understanding of the performance of EBFRP-retrofitted structures. The data collection activities in Anchorage, Alaska, coordinated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), included the following: (1) photographic documentation of damage to EBFRP retrofit systems (e.g., delamination, rupture, and environmental degradation), and (2) identification of in-situ characteristics of the EBFRP utilizing non-destructive (e.g., acoustic sounding and infrared thermography) and semi-destructive (e.g., bond pull-off test) methods. Where permissible, small samples of EBFRP were collected for chemical and thermal analysis to determine the extent of environmental degradation in EBFRP.