Date of Award

Spring 5-2021

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor

Eric N. Landis

Second Committee Member

Roberto Lopez-Anido

Third Committee Member

Jameson Shannon

Abstract

In recent years, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has become a material of interest for structures needing resistance to impact and blast loadings. These types of loadings have induced brittle flexural failure in UHPC due to punching shear from the impactor. One way to improve the impact resistance, energy absorption, and ductility of UHPC is by adding fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) skins to the front and rear faces of the concrete, resulting in a sandwich configuration. In this study, E-glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic laminates were bonded to UHPC panels using a heated consolidation process known as stamp thermoforming. The bond between the UHPC and thermoplastic laminates was specifically of interest, so two variables, adhesive type and consolidation pressure, were investigated. The adhesives of interest were polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) neat resin and ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), known by the trade name Surlyn by DuPont. Two pressures of 80 and 100 psi were used to consolidate the sandwich panels during manufacturing. The impact resistance of the thermoplastic-reinforced UHPC panels was investigated through a combination of quasi-static and low-velocity drop weight impact tests. The bond between the UHPC and thermoplastic laminates was analyzed using both three-point bending tests and direct single-lap shear tests. Preliminary results from these tests showed that EAA performed better under impact and produced a stronger bond between UHPC and the thermoplastic laminates than the PETG neat resin. A consolidation pressure of 100 psi was shown to produce a stronger bond than one of 80 psi. More work must be performed to enhance the impact resistance of the thermoplastic-reinforced UHPC sandwich panels and the bond between UHPC and thermoplastic laminates.

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