Using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to increase the flexural strength of existing structures has gained wide acceptance in recent years. Using high-strength and high-quality adhesives, FRP laminates are externally bonded to the structure that has to be strengthened. Many experimental investigations and practical applications have been performed, thereby demonstrating that the strengthening effects can be reflected in a wide range of aspects, such as the enhancement of the structural stiffness, load-carrying capacity, ductility, and corrosion resistance. In this chapter, a clear understanding of the different failure mechanisms and influencing factors on the flexural performance of FRP-strengthened structures under monotonic and fatigue loads is developed. Based on a series of in-depth studies on the flexural performance of FRP-strengthened concrete structures, a rational methodology is established for the flexural design of FRP-strengthened concrete structures. Some attempts are also made to enhance the structural performance for FRP flexural strengthening. In addition, a series of special field applications for typical FRP flexural strengthening are introduced.

The constituent materials of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites include resins (matrix materials) and fibers (reinforcing materials). The fibers in the FRP composites may consist of carbon, aramid, glass, basalt, poly-p-phenylene-benzobisoxazole, or other types of polyethylene fibers. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of the basic mechanical properties and behaviors (e.g., tensile strength, stiffness, and strain capacity) of different types of continuous FRP sheets, based on the standard tensile test method. Moreover, the enhancement of their mechanical properties by adopting the concept of hybridization is also addressed. In addition, the effects of environmental conditions, such as low or high temperatures and freezing and thawing cycles, on the mechanical properties of FRP composites are analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, time-dependent behaviors, such as fatigue and creep behaviors, are comprehensively evaluated. Finally, the FRP bonding technique for concrete and steel structures, their installation procedure, and strengthening strategy are briefly described.

In this chapter, the uniaxial tensile tests of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-strengthened tensile members are introduced to explain the tension stiffening effect. Based on experimental observations, an analytical method considering bond stress–slip relationships for steel bar and continuous fiber sheets (or FRP sheets) is presented.

External bonding of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates (plates or sheets) for strengthening or retrofitting concrete structures is a bond-critical application. In FRP bonding systems, the performance of the FRP–concrete or steel interface in providing an effective stress transfer is crucial. The attachment of FRP laminates to a concrete substrate can result in interfacial failure modes apart from the conventional flexural failure. In addition, these shifts in failure modes can alter the strength and ductility of the strengthened system. Therefore the fracture theory is introduced in this chapter to discuss the FRP–concrete interface properties. Several studies have presented various failure modes observed in retrofitted civil-engineering structures. Among these, the crack-induced debonding failure mode is the most common in FRP flexural or shear-strengthened concrete members. This is extremely important in the strengthening of concrete members with externally bonded FRP laminates. According to interfacial stress analysis, the interfacial problem may be idealized and studied as an FRP–concrete joint with FRP laminates bonded to the concrete surface and subjected to tension. In this chapter, the bond behavior of similar idealized FRP–concrete joints and design proposals for similar joints are discussed comprehensively.

With rapid urbanization in developing countries and the emergence of smart systems and integrated intelligent devices, the new generation of infrastructure will be smarter and more efficient. However, due to natural and anthropomorphic hazards, as well as the adverse impact of climate change, civil infrastructure systems are increasingly vulnerable. Therefore, future-proofing and designing resilience into infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry and governments in all developing and industrialized societies. This book provides a comprehensive overview of infrastructure resiliency, new developments in this emerging field and its scopes, including ecology and sustainability, and the challenges involved in building more resilient civil infrastructure systems. Moreover, it introduces a strategic roadmap for effective and efficient methods needed for modeling, designing, and assessing resiliency.

In the last decades, development of innovative solutions is considered as a prominent issue for achieving sustainability within the built environment. One of the most paramount methods of saving energy in a building is by deliberate designing its façade. The façade is one of the perfect options for administering the communication between the outdoors and the internal spaces. Also, an intelligent kinetic design presents a creative method for energy conservation in the buildings. This paper reports the experimental results of thermal performance of residential building coupled with smart kinetic shading system. Moreover, the comparison between two identical apartments is accomplished. One coupled with the proposed system. The system fixed on the window the wall south faced. Indoor air temperature and energy consumption are measured and recorded for both apartments simultaneously. The results showed that this system could lead to improved and decreased the internal temperature of the building about 2-3oC. Consequently, the energy saved by 18-20% compared to the standard building without shading system, the improvement in apartment regards indoor environment quality and energy consumption will reflect directly on the building performance. The experiments were conducted on one apartment only due to financial costs. Consequently, implementation the proposed system on the whole building will enhance the energy consumed within the building.

In the last decades, development of innovative solutions is considered as a prominent issue for achieving sustainability within the built environment. One of the most paramount methods of saving energy in a building is by deliberate designing its façade. The façade is one of the perfect options for administering the communication between the outdoors and the internal spaces. Also, an intelligent kinetic design presents a creative method for energy conservation in the buildings. This paper reports the experimental results of thermal performance of residential building coupled with smart kinetic shading system. Moreover, the comparison between two identical apartments is accomplished. One coupled with the proposed system. The system fixed on the window the wall south faced. Indoor air temperature and energy consumption are measured and recorded for both apartments simultaneously. The results showed that this system could lead to improved and decreased the internal temperature of the building about 2-3oC. Consequently, the energy saved by 18-20% compared to the standard building without shading system, the improvement in apartment regards indoor environment quality and energy consumption will reflect directly on the building performance. The experiments were conducted on one apartment only due to financial costs. Consequently, implementation the proposed system on the whole building will enhance the energy consumed within the building.

In the last decades, development of innovative solutions is considered as a prominent issue for achieving sustainability within the built environment. One of the most paramount methods of saving energy in a building is by deliberate designing its façade. The façade is one of the perfect options for administering the communication between the outdoors and the internal spaces. Also, an intelligent kinetic design presents a creative method for energy conservation in the buildings. This paper reports the experimental results of thermal performance of residential building coupled with smart kinetic shading system. Moreover, the comparison between two identical apartments is accomplished. One coupled with the proposed system. The system fixed on the window the wall south faced. Indoor air temperature and energy consumption are measured and recorded for both apartments simultaneously. The results showed that this system could lead to improved and decreased the internal temperature of the building about 2-3oC. Consequently, the energy saved by 18-20% compared to the standard building without shading system, the improvement in apartment regards indoor environment quality and energy consumption will reflect directly on the building performance. The experiments were conducted on one apartment only due to financial costs. Consequently, implementation the proposed system on the whole building will enhance the energy consumed within the building.

In the last decades, development of innovative solutions is considered as a prominent issue for achieving sustainability within the built environment. One of the most paramount methods of saving energy in a building is by deliberate designing its façade. The façade is one of the perfect options for administering the communication between the outdoors and the internal spaces. Also, an intelligent kinetic design presents a creative method for energy conservation in the buildings. This paper reports the experimental results of thermal performance of residential building coupled with smart kinetic shading system. Moreover, the comparison between two identical apartments is accomplished. One coupled with the proposed system. The system fixed on the window the wall south faced. Indoor air temperature and energy consumption are measured and recorded for both apartments simultaneously. The results showed that this system could lead to improved and decreased the internal temperature of the building about 2-3oC. Consequently, the energy saved by 18-20% compared to the standard building without shading system, the improvement in apartment regards indoor environment quality and energy consumption will reflect directly on the building performance. The experiments were conducted on one apartment only due to financial costs. Consequently, implementation the proposed system on the whole building will enhance the energy consumed within the building.

In the high concentrator photovoltaic (HCPV) systems with solar concentration ratios up to 2000 Suns, significant heat is generated in the used solar cell layer. This high generated heat requires an efficient and smart cooling technique to keep it operating at a safe operating temperature. In this paper, another ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic (UHCPV) system with a smaller cell area of 1 mm2 operating at a high solar concentration ratio (CR) up to 10,000 Suns is proposed. This smaller area requires a simple passive cooling technique even at high CR. The optimal dimensions of a passive cooling method using heat spreader are defined. A 3D thermal model for the multijunction solar cell with the heat spreader coupled with the multi-objective genetic optimization algorithm is used to define the optimal heat spreader dimensions . The model is validated with the results in the literature. The model is used to estimate the cell temperature generated electric power, and cell efficiency at different wind speed, ambient temperature, solar radiation, heat spreader length, thickness, and CR. The heat spreader dimensions were optimized for CR = 6000 suns, the optimal thickness and length were 2 mm and a of 47.5 mm, respectively. These dimensions are enough for the safe operation of the UHCPV at CR of 6000 Suns. As a case study, for a UHCPV module with a total number of cells of 10 by 10, the generated power is around 319 W at CR of 10,000 Suns. At the same condition, the monocrystalline silicon solar cell in the PERSEID SOLAR company can generate a maximum power of 144.9 W/m2. For the same area, for the UHCPV module, the generated electric power is around 319 W for 1 m2 of the module. Therefore, around 120% increase in the power can be accomplished with the use of the UHCPV module. In the UHCPV module, the total area of the cell is around 1 cm by 1 cm. Therefore, the module cost could be very low.