Assessing GFRP for sustainable concrete reinforcement in high-rise buildings

This study explores the use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) as a sustainable reinforcement alternative to counteract ramifications caused by steel corrosion in coastal high-rise Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings subjected to both static and dynamic loads. The paper focuses on the vertical load bearing elements, particularly highlighting the performance of GFRP bars in columns, spanning structural, environmental, and economic extents. Two models of a 12-story reinforced concrete residential building were created for traditional steel and GFRP, respectively. The structural performance of the two models was assessed under static and dynamic conditions using ETABS software. Wind loads were calculated in accordance with the ASCE standards, the equivalent static seismic loads were calculated in accordance with the UBC code, and ACI code was used for load combinations. Structural design was then performed on columns for each type of reinforcement while ensuring complete adherence to ACI standards for reinforced concrete buildings. This was followed by cradle-to-gate emissions and cost analysis. ETABS was found to be limited in its ability to design GFRP-RC elements. To address this gap, manual calculations were performed using ACI code to supplement the software limitations. The findings of this research indicate that GFRP bars resulted in a 5% reduction in the overall weight of the multistory residential building, concurrently inducing a 33.7% reduction in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <mml:mi>C</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> emissions and 8.25% cost savings in columns. The study provided promising results regarding the use of GFRP bars in multistory reinforced concrete buildings from a sustainability perspective. Further research and standardization are required to achieve a wider adoption of GFRP in building construction.