WHY IS FRP NOT A FINANCIAL SUCCESS

INTRODUCTION

When FRPs were first introduced in the 1980s, they were thought to have great potential. They were usually stronger than steel but less stiff. They had higher strain capacities, so if they were going to be used to their full potential they would have to be prestrained; prestressing tendons were clearly a better idea than reinforcing bars. Costs were calculated that were, typically, 5 or 6 times the cost of steel on a cost/unit-force/unit-length basis [1] but, it was argued, those costs applied to materials in development and they would surely fall rapidly as manufacturing technology and the competitive market developed. The light weight of the materials was only of marginal interest; there may be military bridging applications in which soldiers have to carry tension members in hostile environments where the cost can be justified [2], and there are some temporary bridging examples where access is difficult and components have to be carried or helicoptered into place [3]. Only for very-long-span bridges is light weight such a significant advantage that it is likely to change the economic solution Twenty years later, has the situation changed markedly?