Fibre-polymer composites for structural assembly and disassembly towards reuse: Review and reassessment

The properties of light weight and corrosion resistance of fibre-polymer composites suggest them for design intentions of structural assembly and disassembly and further reuse. Although research in this regard remains limited, this paper reviews large-scale structural applications of fibre-polymer composites with consideration of these design intentions. It further reassesses several structural assembles with experimental demonstration and practice of their disassembly. In particular, for web-flange sandwich and composite beam structures, through bolts or one-sided bolts were used as the shear connections to achieve their dismantlability after the structures were loaded or failures were initiated. A steel sleeve connector was introduced to form beam-column and column-column assemblies through bolted connections. Their dismantlability was evidenced for such structural assemblies using composites of hollow sections, after ultimate failures. The sleeve connectors were further used to assemble large-scale space frame structures made of fibre-polymer composites. Dismantlability was shown after static and fatigue experiments, and it was able to disassemble the structure and reuse its components to form new structures. Available results on off-torque of bolted joints after various environmental exposures were further summarised, and future research needs were suggested for disassembly and reuse of composite structures after long-term service. • Overview on design for disassembly and reuse for various structural forms • Focused review on large-scale structural disassembly and reuse for composites • Reassessment of experimental results for disassembly of composite structures • Demonstration of disassembly for developed composite structures after loading • Summary of off-torque of bolted joints after environmental exposure in this context