Ervas Carbon Fiber Laminates

Carbon fiber laminates are greatly suitable to apply to straight surfaces. Our Ervas carbon fiber laminates are pultruded plates composed of unidirectional stretched carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix.

Carbon Fiber Laminate    Carbon Fiber Laminate
Ervas Carbon fiber laminates

Summary
In case there are changes in the condition of the actual load on a concrete construction, the calculated limiting values may be exceeded, which makes it necessary to reinforce the concrete. The application of, among other things, carbon fibers on the outside of the construction, may be a solution. Ervas uses carbon fiber laminates. For round shapes carbon sheets are more appropriate. These may also be applied on other materials.

Why use Adhesive reinforcement strengthening?
Elements of armored concrete are statically calculated and carried out for a specific load. However, it often happens that the construction or bridge is insufficiently reinforced to deliver the required tensile strength. As we pointed out in the introduction, during the lifespan of a structure, the requirements and conditions may change for different reasons. The cause of this may also be a calculation that was carried out wrong earlier.
In such a case, Ervas provides a solution with the application of carbon fiber on the outside of the construction. For this we use epoxy adhesives. The advantages of the use of carbon fiber in comparison to steel are its superior tensile strength which is ten times as strong and its minor weight. Carbon fibers can be applied to reinforce concrete, wood and brick constructions. The carbon fiber is used in two forms: in the form of strips to reinforce construction parts, or as pillar covers.

Use and applications
Ervas carbon fiber adhesive reinforcement laminates may be used for reinforcing armored concrete parts to increase the bearing capacity of loaded elements (increasing the bending stress). The increased bending capacity will result in smaller bends and less cracks. The external gluing of these laminates clearly has advantages as opposed to steel plates and it offers the designer more freedom in designing. Carbon fiber laminates may be applied to both wood and concrete joists, pillars, floors and walls for lasting reinforcement, both at a positive as well as a negative moment.

An example
In the Dutch town of Bergen op Zoom, Ervas provided an external reinforcement of protruding balconies in a successful and cost-efficient manner. Click the button for projects to see our adhesive reinforcement projects or click here to go directly to the project in Bergen op Zoom.

About the laminates
Ervas cfrp laminates are pultruded plates composed of unidirectional stretched carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix. There are two types of laminates available with a modulus of elasticity of 165 kn/mm2 and 205 kn/mm2, respectively. For technical details and the downloads of this, go to Technical data Ervas Adhesive Reinforcement.

Processing in short
To ensure the transfer of the loading of the Ervas cfrp-laminates to the foundation is done properly, the surface needs to be coarsened by sandblasting or grating. Subsequently, all damaged parts (cracks, rock pockets and/or surface deficiencies) are repaired and the surface is cleaned and dust-proofed. The laminates are glued to the surface with an epoxy gel. The material must then sit for 24 hours. The laminates will reach the intended strength after 7 days.

For technical details and download of this, go to Technical data Ervas Adhesive Reinforcement.