Effects of Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation on GFRP

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) have emerged as one of the most promising and affordable solutions to the corrosion problem of steel reinforcement. FRP is used widely in the field of aerospace and naval application, but not in civil engineering field. The main obstacle preventing the extended use of FRP in civil engineering is lack of knowledge about the durability of FRP when it is exposed to an extreme environmental exposure especially at the offshore platform area.
FRP have many advantages over steel like excellent chemical and corrosion resistance, as well as high strength to weight ratio compared to steel. In this study, an effort was made to study the effect of UV radiation on GFRP that is done by previous researches which may serve as references for future work so that the GFRP can be used as grating at offshore structures.. UV radiation can lead to surface oxidation and may cause cracking to the GFRP surface that make it important for the author to investigate the situation.