Guidance on the design and use of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) soil nails and ground anchors

Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) has been used in many applications in engineering and civil engineering. These materials were first developed and used in the 1930s in the USA in boats and in aeronautical fields. GFRP bars have high strengths, are light in weight, flexible and can be produced more cheaply than carbon fibre. They are also more durable than steel, as they do not corrode. FRP has been used in mining and tunnelling for many years and is now being used in soil nails and tieback ground anchor applications due to the durability concerns associated with conventional steel reinforcement. Here, van der Merwe and Hofmann combine various sources and provide guidance on the design of lateral support systems using FRP bars as soil nails or ground anchors.