Retrofitting of Buildings and Structures

Externally bonded steel plates, steel or reinforced concrete jackets, and external pre-stressing were the traditional techniques used to strengthen or retrofit existing concrete structures to provide additional strength, compensate for construction design errors, correct deterioration problems, or improve the performance as required by code changes. These techniques were expensive because of the heavy equipment needed and, in most instances, did not provide a long service life. Corrosion of reinforcement, which is the common deterioration mechanism, affects the life cycle of steel plate in a similar manner. In addition, in certain cases such as strengthening of unreinforced masonry and concrete walls, the traditional techniques cannot be used. High-strength composite materials, used by the aerospace industry for more than 40 years, are becoming the preferred materials for the repairs. Since composite materials are extremely light, the process of installing the composite onto a structure is simplified considerably and, in most cases, heavy equipment is not needed for the repairs. The composites also have very high corrosion resistance. Although the materials are expensive, the final cost of repair becomes competitive because of the ease of construction and the time savings. The most popular uses include:

• • strengthening of reinforced and prestressed concrete beams for flexure;
  • shear strengthening of reinforced and prestressed concrete beams;
  • column wrapping to improve the ductility for earthquake-type loading;
  • strengthening of unreinforced masonry walls for in-plane and out-of-plane loading;
  • strengthening for improved blast resistance.

Philosophically, the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bonded to the parent structural element acts as reinforcement. Although research has been carried out to evaluate the use of pre-stressed FRP,  almost all applications involve the attachment of unstressed FRP to the parent structures using epoxy. The FRP essentially acts as additional reinforcement.
The major differences, as compared to traditional reinforcing bars, are (i) the strength of FRP is much higher; (ii) the behavior of most FRP is linearly elastic up to failure; (iii) the load transfer from FRP to concrete is by adhesion of epoxy as opposed to mechanical bond between bars and concrete; and (iv) the structural elements are under stress (load) when FRP is applied and these stresses and corresponding strains should be taken into account in the design.

Retrofitting of Educational institutes

The universities, community colleges and high schools and all other educational institutions consist of a numerous blocks of structures.  In some cases these institutions look  like a city established within another city and have to struggle with the same type of infrastructure renovation issues as any other municipality. Our engineered Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) solutions offer fast, long-lasting and economical repair alternatives to owners, architect/engineers and contractors to ensure the project is completed on time, within budget and with minimum disruption of service.

Some of the repair and strengthening projects on university and college campuses that can benefit from Afzir engineered FRP solutions are:

• • Strengthening of floors, beams, columns and walls as a result of change of use in existing buildings, stadiums, gymnasiums, libraries, etc. using FRP composite
  • Seismic strengthening of concrete and masonry buildings for enhanced resiliency in case a major earthquake occurs
  • Repair of corrosion damaged columns, floors, stairways, etc. in stadiums, parking garages, etc.
  • Strengthening of roof beams (both concrete and glulam) for increased load capacity, e.g. when new air handling units are installed
  • Repair of corrosion-damaged beams, walls and columns in cooling towers with FRP composite
  • Blast retrofit/mitigation or force protection of the key structures against terrorist attacks
  • Repair of underground utility tunnels that are damaged by corrosion
  • Trenchless repair of pipelines with FRP fibers & laminates.

In most cases, Afzir engineers can provide a complete “turnkey” design-build solution that includes sealed engineering drawings by our in-house engineers, all of the materials needed, and installation by one of our approved and certified installers.  This unique turnkey design-build approach results in significant efficiency, time and cost-savings, and minimizes the potential errors and delays that can result when multiple groups are involved in one project.

Afzir also welcomes the opportunity to partner with owners, architects, engineers and contractors by providing any single aspect of the project, i.e., design, materials, or installation for a specific project.

Retrofitting of Healthcare Facilities (Hospitals/Medical Offices)

Retrofitting of Parking Garages

The need for parking space in parking garages (or car parks) continues to grow globally.  In colder climates where deicing chemicals are used, salt-laden snow and ice accumulated under the cars gradually melts and covers the floors of parking garages.  This will cause rapid corrosion of the concrete deck.  In coastal regions, the salt present in air combined with a humid environment leads to fast corrosion of the entire parking facility including beams, floors, columns and walls.

Our engineered Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) solutions offer fast, long-lasting and economical repair alternatives to owners, architect/engineers and contractors to ensure the project is completed on time, within budget and with minimum disruption of business.  Repairs with FRP do not result in enlargement of the columns and walls.  This means the same floor area and number of parking spaces remains available after the repairs for future revenue generation.  Parking garages also have limited overhead clearance.  Repair of floor beams and slabs with FRP assures that the overhead clearance is not reduced due to the repairs.

Some of the repair and strengthening projects for parking garages or car parks that can benefit from Afzir engineered FRP solutions are:

• Repair of corrosion-damaged floors, beams, columns and corbels with no loss of valuable space, using FRP products
• Seismic retrofit of parking garages to comply with modern earthquake codes and for enhanced resiliency in the event of a major earthquake
• Strengthening of floor areas for heavier traffic loading, e.g. access for fire engines, etc.

In most cases, Afzir engineers can provide a complete “turnkey” design-build solution that includes sealed engineering drawings by our in-house engineers, all of the materials needed, and installation by one of our approved and certified installers.  This unique turnkey design-build approach results in significant efficiency, time and cost-savings, and minimizes the potential errors and delays that can result when multiple groups are involved in one project.

Afzir also welcomes the opportunity to partner with owners, architects, engineers and contractors by providing any single aspect of the project, i.e., design, materials, or installation for a specific project.