Environmental Optimization of Precast Concrete Beams Using Fibre Reinforced Polymers
Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Sustainability 2019, 11(7), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072174
Received: 8 February 2019 / Revised: 28 March 2019 / Accepted: 5 April 2019 / Published: 11 April 2019
Increasing importance is being attached to materials in the life-cycle of a building. In the Netherlands, material life-cycle assessments (LCA) are now mandatory for almost all new buildings, on which basis the building is then awarded a building environmental performance or MPG [Milieuprestatie Gebouwen] score. The objective of this study is to reduce the environmental–economic (shadow) costs of precast reinforced concrete (RC) beams in a conventional Dutch office building, thereby improving its MPG score. Two main optimizations are introduced: first, the amount of concrete is reduced, designing a cavity in the cross-section of the beam; second, part of the reinforcement is replaced with a fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) tube. The structural calculations draw from a combination of several codes and FRP recommendations. Hollow FRP-RC beams (with an elongated oval cavity), and flax, glass, and kenaf fibre tubes yielded the lowest shadow costs. In particular, the flax tube obtained shadow costs that were 39% lower than those of the hollow RC beam (with an elongated oval cavity); which also contributed to decreasing the shadow costs of other building components (e.g., facade), thereby reducing the MPG score of the building. However, this study also shows that it is important to select the right type of FRP as hemp fibre tubes resulted in a 98% increase in shadow costs.
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Keywords:
prefabricated precast concrete beams; cross-sectional design; fibre reinforced polymer; MPG score; shadow cost; carbon; glass; flax fibres; kenaf; FRP
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MDPI and ACS Style
van Loon, R.R.L.; Pujadas-Gispert, E.; Moonen, S.P.G.; Blok, R. Environmental Optimization of Precast Concrete Beams Using Fibre Reinforced Polymers. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2174. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072174
AMA Style
van Loon RRL, Pujadas-Gispert E, Moonen SPG, Blok R. Environmental Optimization of Precast Concrete Beams Using Fibre Reinforced Polymers. Sustainability. 2019; 11(7):2174. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072174
Chicago/Turabian Stylevan Loon, R. R.L., Ester Pujadas-Gispert, S. P.G. Moonen, and Rijk Blok. 2019. "Environmental Optimization of Precast Concrete Beams Using Fibre Reinforced Polymers" Sustainability 11, no. 7: 2174. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072174
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