Reinforced Plastics  Volume 00, Number 00  June 2016
com
Composite materials: An opportunity to
be exploited in the construction sector
Ana Isabel Crespo Soler
Researcher at the AIMPLAS Composites Department
Composites are an alternative to traditional materials when making footbridges, constructing facades
and as reinforcing elements for bridges.
One of the main advantages of polymer matrix composites
(formed by two or more components acting in synergy) is that
they are materials offering a high mechanical resistance with
regard to its density, compared to conventional materials. As a
result, composites have a number of significant advantages for a
wide range of applications. For instance, they allow obtaining
complex shapes with high precision, they also have an excellent
resistance to degradation and they are highly resistant to corro-
sion.
Advanced composite materials have been used in the last
50 years in several high performance applications: military vehi-
cles, luxury yachts, large wind turbine blades, aircrafts, sports and
leisure equipment such as skis, snowboards and surfboards. Cur-
rently, they are beginning to be more widely used in architecture,
where they offer a significant weight saving and an ability to create
complex shapes, what provides more design freedom to architects.
Designing with composite materials opens a range of possibili-
ties in the construction sector, such as optimizing the performance
of the structure by means of simple changes in some of the
constituents of the composite material (resin types, types and
configuration of reinforcing materials, etc.)
Design freedom and futuristic constructions
Whereas during the last 100 years architects have just used the
conventional construction materials in their designs (wood, stone,
steel, concrete, etc.), composite materials are currently revolution-
izing architecture. Their applications in the field of construction
have allowed the progressive replacement of traditional materials
and many barriers that designers used to find when implementing
projects with a futuristic design have disappeared.
Up until now, composites have been more commonly used in
secondary structures and huge self-supporting structures, such as
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domes. However, some architects and engineers are currently
developing more complex solutions to satisfy the creativity of
some designers and their desire to challenge the established
canons when designing buildings and unique works. These appli-
cations are only possible with composite materials, since we take
advantage of the combination of the low weight of these materials
and their ability to be molded in such complex shapes.
Among the main advantages that composite materials offer
compared to traditional materials we stand out:
 Aesthetics: They provide new aesthetic possibilities thanks to
their ability to mold complex, fluid and creative shapes, as well
as the ability to integrate special surface finishes and a wide
range of effects, including the simulation of traditional
materials.
 Corrosion resistance: Composite materials do not oxidize
nor corrode. There are many polymer matrix systems providing
long-term resistance for most of the temperature and chemical
environments. The composite material parts correctly designed
have a long shelf life and a minimum maintenance compared to
the traditional materials used in construction.
 Lightness: Composites have a specific resistance higher than
most of the materials used in similar applications. These offer
more weight force than most metal alloys.
 Durability: How long do composites last? There are duration
references of more than 50 years. Polymer matrix composites
are relatively recent materials compared to the materials that
they often replace, such as concrete, steel and wood, so their
life expectancy has not been achieved in many composites in
use.
 Design flexibility: Composite materials can be obtained with
almost any shape: it may have a complex configuration; it may
be big or small, structural, decorative, or even a combination of
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FEATURE Reinforced Plastics  Volume 00, Number 00  June 2016

them. Composites free the minds of architects and designers to
try new concepts, from prototyping to producing. Given this
flexibility, individual parts of composite material are able to
replace complex units that require many fixing elements when
being manufactured with traditional materials, such as wood,
steel and aluminum.
 Dimensional stability: The materials formed by FRP keep
their shape and functionality even under mechanical and
environmental severe tensions.
 Dielectric behavior: The polymer matrix composite materi-
als have excellent electrical insulation properties.
 High service temperature: The parts manufactured with the
polymer matrix and appropriate fillers can have a really good
FEATURE
under development. Without enough standards and technical
codes, it is unlikely that materials as FRP can be used beyond
demonstration and research projects. The standardized testing and
material characterization methods minimize the uncertainty in
the output and specifications of FRP materials. Technical codes
allow structures containing FRP materials to be designed, built and
managed safely and confidently.
Despite these difficulties, some of the composites materials are
already being chosen instead of traditional construction materials
due to their unique features. The specialized training of architects,
designers, engineers and construction workers on polymer matrix
composite materials in different relevant technology aspects and
the use of materials such as FRP will be essential for the successful

behavior in high-temperature applications. application of these materials in construction.

All in all, we are convinced that there is a brilliant near future for
Entry barriers when using composites in construction composite materials used in infrastructures since architects and
It is astonishing how slowly goes the adoption process of polymer engineers are becoming more sensitive to the benefits that these
matrix composites (FRP) in the civil construction sector compared materials, such as FRP, can give to construction and civil engi-
to other sectors, such as aerospace, competition engines and neering and they will be soon a referent material among those
maritime sectors. Composites continue to be a relatively new currently available.
construction material, so the details that many users need to
justify their choice do not exist yet or they are not completely
developed. For the moment, we cannot say definitively how a
composite material structure will behave within 100 years, for
example, while we have enough experience with other materials,
such as concrete, wood or steel to foretell their life cycle in specific
conditions.
Composites in construction must be seen with a new perspec-
tive, not only as candidates to the direct replacement of current
parts, but also as a way to maximize their benefits. For instance, in
the USA, two significant penetrations of composites have taken
place in the housing construction market over the last 20 years.
The use of pultrusion when manufacturing profiles for window
and door frames and the compression molding of glass fiber
reinforced polyester and polyurethane skins for exterior doors.
These applications are quite common and have competitive costs
compared to traditional materials. The resulting window and door
frames are as resistant as metal, but much more efficient energeti-
cally.
Just as some architects and engineers are discovering, FRP
composite materials can be used in a number of infrastructures,
such as footbridges, constructing facades and as reinforcing ele-
ments for bridges. Their use is of significance in the case of facades
since dead loads of steel, concrete and masonry are extremely
high, whilst FRPs can be easily several orders of magnitude lighter.
According to this, these materials require much less support
structure compared to what would be needed if using concrete
or limestone. It also allows more design freedom.

Standards and long-term perspectives

Due to the importance of controlling risks with respect to public
security, FRP materials used in civil structures must be subjected to
standards and technical codes. However, little literature and lim-
ited standards/technical codes are available being some of them

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Please cite this article in press as: A.I.C. Soler, Reinf. Plast. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.repl.2016.05.003