Seminars, Workshops and Conferences
29 August 2005: Seminar on Composite Materials Applications for Infrastructure in the United States will be conducted by Narendra Taly, Ph.D., P.E., Professor of Civil Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, USA
The seminar wil be held at 1:15 p.m. in Room N-238, SCE Building.
Abstract
Since their development beginning some 60 years ago and beginning with their applications for aircraft
and aerospace industries and other commercial and industrial uses, composite materials are now
being increasingly used for infrastructure applications. This is because composites offer many
advantages over conventional materials such as steel, concrete, and wood: high specific strength and
stiffness, lightweight, noncorrosive, nonmagnetic, easy installation, and low life-cycle costs. Application include new as well as as-built structures, viz., buildings and bridges. For some applications such as structural retrofitting and rehabilitation, composites fabrics, particularly glass and carbon, are are often used as preferred materials. Several projects completed in the United States, Japan, and other countries have demonstrated successful use of GFRP reinforcing bars in lieu of steel bars for concrete beams and slabs, prestressing tendons, and composites fabrics for strengthening of concrete and masonry elements.