EFFECT OF MOISTURE ON THE INTERFACE OF TIMBER AND EXTERNALLY BONDED FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS: A REVIEW PAPER

Abstract

Timber as a structural material has been in use since the medievalperiod. Even today, there are many residential houses being built with timber frame in Australia. Wooden wharfsand bridges are common examples of timber structures in coastal regions of Australia. Humidity in such coastal regions is often high causing an increase in moisture level in the timber structures. Besides, over-loading, rot and decay, termites and borers, etc. cause damage to timber and presence of moisture either aggravates this orfavourssuch causes. Hence, there has been an increased demand for repair and rehabilitation of heritage and important timber structures. Strengthening wooden structures with fibrereinforced polymers (FRPs) isbecoming popular in the construction industry. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the effect of moisture on the durability of the timber-FRPinterface. After reviewing previous studies in the durabilityof the timber-FRPcomposite, it has beenfound that prolonged moisture exposure leads to premature debonding in the timber-FRPinterface. A graphical representation of the effect of moisture on bond failure has been establishedthrough this research workafter investigatingthe previous work of scholars. This paper alsohighlightsthe significance of applying adhesion promoter in enhancing the performance of timber-FRPinterface

Keywords

• rehabilitation
• timber/frp interface
• adhesive
• moisture