ElsevierAbdolpour, H.; Garzón-Roca, J.; Escusa, G.; Sena-Cruz, JM.; Barros, JA.; Valente, IB. (2016). Development of a composite prototype with GFRP profiles and sandwich panels used as a floor module of an emergency house. Composite Structures. 153:81-95. AbstractA series of experimental tests carried out on a composite prototype to be used as a floor module of an emergency house is presented in this paper. The prototype comprises a frame structure formed by GFRP pultruded profiles, and two sandwich panels constituted by GFRP skins and a polyurethane foam core that configures the floor slab.The present work is part of the project ''ClickHouse -Development of a prefabricated emergency house prototype made of composites materials" and investigates the feasibility of the assemblage process of the prototype and performance to support load conditions typical of residential houses. Furthermore, sandwich panels are also independently tested, analysing their flexural response, failure mechanisms and creep behaviour. Obtained results confirm the good performance of the prototype to be used as floor module of an emergency housing, with a good mechanical behaviour and the capacity of being transported to the disaster areas in the form of various low weight segments, and rapidly installed. Additionally, finite element simulations were carried out to assess the stress distributions in the prototype components and to evaluate the global behaviour and load transfer mechanism of the connections.

Over the last decades, researchers have been studying fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials and their advantages in retrofitting of existing structures. The externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) technique is the most common practice in improving existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures with carbon FRP (CFRP) materials. In this regard, several additional advantages have been reported to the use of prestressed CFRP materials, mainly strips. However, the experience with RC strengthening using prestressed EBR-CFRP materials is still limited. Some concerns regarding the efficiency of the technique still exist, especially the durability and the long-term behaviour. This work aims at contributing to the knowledge on durability of RC slabs strengthened with prestressed CFRP laminate strips according the EBR technique. The durability was studied by exposing strengthened RC specimens to the following environments for approximately 8 months: (i) reference environment-specimens kept in a climatic chamber at 20 ºC; (ii) water immersion in tank at 20 ºC of temperature; (iii) water immersion in tank with 3.5% of dissolved chlorides at 20 ºC of temperature; and (iv) wet/dry cycles in a tank with a water temperature of 20 ºC. Additionally, half of the specimens were subjected to sustained loading at a load level of 1/3 of the ultimate load, with the occurrence of cracking. After the exposure period the slabs were monotonically tested up to failure by using a four-point bending test configuration. The results showed that the environmental conditions and the sustained loading, separately or combined, led in general to slight losses of performance and ductility. Although these losses were subtle, considering that the tests were carried out for 8 months, clear indications are given towards the importance of conducting similar tests

Throughout this paper, a new system for connecting composite sandwich wall panels is proposed. The relevant structural components are investigated with the aim of utilizing these panels as insulated wall elements in building applications or prefabricated modular systems. The adopted sandwich wall panels are composed of hand-layup Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) outer skins and low density closed polyurethane (PU) foam core. The sandwich wall panels present an overall geometry of 2880×960×64 mm 3 . One challenge of the proposed new system that was examined included joining the panels in the longitudinal direction (along their height) and transversally connecting (along their width) to other structural elements, similar to beams at the bottom and top. The structural performance of the sandwich wall panels was experimentally tested and thereafter analytically assessed in two cases: (i) single wall panels; (ii) two jointed wall panels. Outward localized GFRP wrinkling, followed by global buckling was observed as the dominant failure mode in both cases.Further, the capability of the proposed connection system to increase the axial load capacity 1Ph.D. Candidate,

The present paper explores a new modular floor prototype to be used in emergency houses. The prototype is composed of a frame structure made of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tubular pultruded profiles, a slab made of sandwich panels with a polyurethane (PU) foam core and GFRP skins, and a tailored connection system that provides integrity between assembled components. A series of experimental tests are carried out including flexural tests on a single panel, on two and three connected panels, and on the assembled floor prototype. The behaviour of the panels is analysed when they are not considered part of the GFRP framed structure, namely the failure mechanisms and the efficiency of the proposed connection system between the panels. The performance of the floor prototype to support typical load conditions of residential houses is also assessed. Additionally, an analytical model was used to deeper study the behavior of the developed sandwich panels, connection system and the modular floor prototype.

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