Comparative study on tensile behavior of inorganic fibers embedded in unsaturated polyester bisphenol “A”-styrene copolymer

Due to their worldwide availability, glass fibers and aramid fibers have been the more common continuous fibers used to obtain fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rods. These pultruded rods are used as structural materials and for reinforcements of concrete elements. The main challenge that these fibers face in concrete is their durability in high alkaline environments, therefore the fibers appropriate for this application must be alkali-resistant (AR). In the present work, a cheap Basalt fiber embedded in unsaturated polyester bisphenol “A”-styrene copolymer has been compared to “E” and AR glass fibers under unidirectional tensile strength. A pultrusion process was used to obtain FRP rods. After unidirectional tensile tests of the FRP rods along with durability tests (fibers immersed in a highly alkaline solution at constant temperature simulating the concrete pore solution), the FRP rods with basalt fibers showed to be a cheap and good alternative to be used in concrete.