Characterization of a Pultruded FRP Sheet Pile for Waterfront Retaining Structures

Abstract

This paper presents a series of experiments carried out to determine the characteristics of a pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet pile profile for waterfront retaining wall applications. The profile’s flexural and shear stiffness were determined through a multiple-span test method, and the moment resistance was obtained by simulating the earth pressures using a uniformly distributed load. It was found that the load-carrying capacity was dominated by the buckling of the compressive flange and web. Water absorption tests were performed to assess the maximum percent absorption and the corresponding mechanical property change; a saturated pultruded FRP was shown to decrease tensile strength substantially, but this did not cause significant change in the longitudinal modulus of elasticity. Pultruded FRP exhibited excellent resistance to freeze–thaw cycling. The results of the creep tests predict that, over