Estudo da viabilidade financeira de vergalhões polímero reforçado com fibras - GFRP em substituição ao vergalhão de aço carbono utilizados em uma laje maciça

Abstract

The competitiveness within the civil construction market has intensified significantly over the years, requiring companies to incorporate new materials and construction techniques capable of ensuring their permanence in the sector, while simultaneously guaranteeing financial returns and adequate building performance. In this context, reinforced concrete, despite its high structural efficiency, presents as its main limitation the susceptibility of steel to corrosion. This characteristic implies specific requirements in structural design and, in certain situations, leads to high maintenance and repair costs. Given this scenario, glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars emerge as a promising technological alternative, standing out particularly due to their high resistanceto corrosion and potential economic performance, since some assumptions of conventional design can be disregarded when using this material.In this study, a comparative analysis of the financial performance of astandardized slab design was conducted, considering two distinct configurations: one with carbon steel reinforcement and another with GFRP reinforcement. The results indicate that,within the context addressed in the research and in the geographical region of the study, the use of GFRP rebars is still not economically viablefor large-scale application when compared to carbon steel reinforcement