Advanced Composites in Civil Engineering in Europe

Composite materials have been considered for use in structures in Europe for many years. The materials used for structures are all characterised by low creep, as would be expected when the structures must resist significant permanent loads. For most applications, the higher stiffness fibres, i.e. carbon, aramid, glass and polyester, are used. Unfortunately, the high strength comes at the expense of high cost, and mistakes have been made in attempting to find one-for-one substitutes for steel on a material-cost basis. The successful applications have all made use of other properties of the materials, not least of which are the light weight and consequent ease of handling.