The test results of eight concrete beams reinforced with carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets subjected to an aggressive environment under a sustained load are presented. The beams are 1 700 mm long with a rectangular cross-section of 120- mm width and 200-mm depth. The beams are precracked with a four-point flexural load, bonded CFRP sheets, and placed into wet-dry saline water（ NaCl） either in an unstressed state or loaded to about 30% or 60% of the initial ultimate load. The individual and coupled effects of wet-dry saline water and sustained bending stresses on the long term behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with the CFRP are investigated. The test results show that the coupled action of wet-dry saline water and sustained bending stresses appears to significantly affect the load capacity and the failure mode of beam strengthened with CFRP, mainly due to the degradation of the bond between CFRP and concrete. However, the stiffness is not affected by the coupled action of wet-dry cycles and a sustained load.
Based on the fast freeze-thaw cycling test, the alkaline immersion test, the water immersion test and the wet-thermal exposure test, the influence of aggressive environments on mechanical behavior of FRP was studied. CFRP specimens subjected to aggressive environments showed good durability with no significant degradation in tensile strength and modulus; however, GFRP specimens exhibited a little decrease in mechanical property after aggressive environments exposure. Based on the fast freeze-thaw cycling test and the wet-thermal exposure test, the influence of aggressive environments on the bond behavior between FRP and concrete, mechanical behavior of concrete beams and columns strengthened with FRP laminates was studied. The results showed that the bond strength had a significant decrease compared with those specimens kept at room temperature, and the specimens strengthened with FRP exhibited good durability.
