Carbon Fiber Reinforced Material

DowAksa, Yalova'da Full-Scale Building Earthquake Simulation Test Conducted DowAksa has partnered with Istanbul Technical University to conduct an earthquake simulation test on full-scale buildings in Yalova using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) technology. Within the scope of a project that exemplifies private sector-university collaboration in Turkey, an expert team brought together conducted a test that comparatively demonstrated how a building reinforced with carbon fiber composites successfully withstands a potential earthquake. The test was carried out in Yalova, one of the areas affected by one of Turkey's largest earthquake disasters, which claimed the lives of more than 18,000 people in 1999. At the end of the test, the carbon fiber reinforced building strengthening solution received full marks from experts. The team will examine the detailed data obtained from the test results to reduce loss of life and building damage in future earthquakes. Within the scope of the test, DowAksa, a 50/50 joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayi A.Ş., constructed two full-scale buildings on land allocated by Yalova Governorate. The buildings, which used identical foundations and construction materials, were constructed using methods commonly applied in Turkey for many years, built prior to the 2007 Earthquake Regulation. For the test, which aimed to measure how a building constructed using traditional methods could be strengthened to withstand strong seismic effects, one building was reinforced using high-strength CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) technology developed by DowAksa, while the second building was left as it was. Following field preparations completed with the installation of advanced sensors, hydraulic pistons were used to obtain seismic shock simulation. Upon completion of the test, which involved approximately 25 engineers under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Alper İlki from Istanbul Technical University, the building reinforced with carbon fiber material remained standing, while the unreinforced building collapsed.

The test, conducted to simulate seismic forces on three-story separate structures, represents the first work of this kind and scale conducted worldwide using this method. Professor İlki evaluated the test as follows:

"This project, supported by Yalova Governorate, has been one of the most important and exemplary studies carried out in industry-university collaboration in the fields of structural and earthquake engineering in our country." At an event attended by DowAksa Board Chairman Mehmet Ali Berkman, Yalova Deputy Governor Yıldırım Uçar, Yalova Mayor Vefa Salman, AFAD officials and senior DowAksa management, Berkman thanked Yalova Governorate for allocating the land where the test was conducted. Berkman said, "Exactly 17 years, 3 months and 6 days ago, this region where we are now located witnessed one of the largest earthquakes of the last century. Although a long time has passed since that day, most of us remember it as if it were yesterday. 18,373 people died, 2,544 of them in this region of Yalova. 96,796 homes and 15,939 businesses were destroyed. The reason I am telling all this is to clearly state the significance of this project that we have conducted as DowAksa in Yalova. Yalova is where many of our colleagues and their families live. For this reason, I express my gratitude to our governor for providing us with the opportunity to test in this field," he said. Berkman concluded his remarks: "Aging infrastructure and buildings present an increasing problem worldwide – threatening public safety, disrupting economic activities and depleting national capital. Finding long-term and effective ways to repair buildings, pipelines, roads and bridges is a global challenge. We hope that the outputs of this project will be of benefit to both our country and other earthquake-prone nations in this struggle."

Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy-based composite materials have been developed as an alternative to conventional strengthening systems. The greatest advantages of these types of composite materials, which have tensile strengths greater than steel, are that they are lightweight, corrosion-resistant and easy to apply.

Another important feature of the CarbonWrap© solution produced by DowAksa is that during strengthening work carried out by specialists in the field, structures can continue their normal functions uninterrupted. Unlike conventional rehabilitation or reconstruction techniques, which require demolition and reconstruction of weak structures in part or in whole, CarbonWrap® can be applied directly over the existing substrate. This provides significant savings in installation time and costs. The material, applied in the form of a flexible fabric covering during installation, is subsequently saturated with a resin matrix, thereby creating a strong, durable structure with a strength-to-weight ratio exceeding fifty times that of steel. (http://www.dowaksa.com/carbonwrap/)