Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing

IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

Utilizing Underwater FRP System for Hydraulic

Structures Application
Zuhair Al-Jaberi1, Zena Al-Jazeri2 and Rana Mahdi3
1 Ph.D Lecturer of Civil Eng. Dept., Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad Governorate 10070, Iraq.
Email: zkayc7@mst.edu, Zuhair.k.alawy@nahrainuniv.edu.iq
2 Ph.D Lecturer of Civil Eng. Dept., Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad Governorate 10070, Iraq.

Email: zracnb@mst.edu, Zena.r.s.aljazaeri@nahrainuniv.edu.iq

3State Commission for Dams and Reservoirs, Studies Department, Baghdad Governorate
10070, Iraq. Rsmcy5@mst.edu, Ranasalah2010@yahoo.com

Abstract. The development of the use of advance composites is remarkable,

especially in applications that require the materials used to be corrosion resistant.
One of the most important of these applications is the structures built inside or
under water, especially hydraulic structures. Constant exposure to wet makes
materials such as concrete and steel threatened to the high level of corrosion and
deterioration. The traditional methods for repairing proved insufficient over time,
in addition to being expensive in some cases. Therefore, it became necessary to
search for alternatives that achieve engineering efficiency and lower costs. One of
these alternatives is the use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) system. Until recent
years, it was not possible to use FRP system under water as a repair system for
hydraulic structures without cofferdam. However, during this period, types of
underwater cured resins were produced and underwater FRP system is the best
choice for this type of structures. There are no many practical applications for the
use of FRP in repairing of hydraulic structures, so it is possible to study its
application in marine structure to show the possibility of use it in hydraulic
structure. This research highlight the advantages and disadvantages of traditional
method in repairing underwater structures. Also present project that considered
the underwater FRP as a construction material used in the rehabilitation of
deteriorated concrete pile. As a conclusion, using fibers with water activated resin
can provide an economical solution for future repair and rehabilitation projects.
Also the pre-preg system is efficient for repairing dry zones, while the wet layup
system is very effective in repairing splash zones of damaged structural elements.

Keywords: FRP, Hydraulic structures, Per-preg , Underwater repairing, Wet layup,

1. Introduction
Steel and concrete are traditionally used in construction of hydraulic structures. These
construction materials are subjected to deterioration when exposed to harsh environmental
conditions. The steel that used in substructures of bridges or in hydraulic structures in contact
with water is subjected to corrosion when it is directly exposed to the natural environmental
conditions. On the other hand, the concrete is subjected to cracks as a results of different loads
(creep, fatigue, etc.) and these cracks lead to the corrosion of reinforcement bars [1-4]. As a result
of the corrosion phenomena, the capacity of the structural element will decrease to the level that
lead to the failure if the required engineering treatment are not taken. Accordingly, there is a great
need to repair, rehabilitation or replacement of corroded structural element using anti-corroded
material. One of the most important materials that used for corrosion resistance is FRP. This
material is characterized by its high strength to weight ratio, good durability and the quality of its
resistance to the corrosion or chemicals [5-8]. Until recent years, it was not possible to use FRP
system to implement the maintenance and repair operations for hydraulic structures without
cofferdam [9-11], due to the impossibility of bonding between the wet part and the repairing
system. However, during this period, types of underwater cured resins were produced, so it is
possible to use these resins in the repairing work of hydraulic structures without the need to make
cofferdams [11-12]. This research aims to review and evaluate the feasibility of implementation
the underwater FRP system for repairing hydraulic and substructures.

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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

2. Traditional Solutions for Repairing Marine Structures

Marine structures are among the clearest facilities that are subjected to deterioration as a result
of the nature of the conditions that cause corrosion. The marine structures are similar to hydraulic
structures in term of where they are located. These structures include submerged piles,
submerged piers, seawalls, dams and offshore platform supports [1]. Constant exposure to wet
makes materials such as concrete and steel threatened to the high level of corrosion and
deterioration. In term of ease and complexity, the repair zones can be divided into three zones as
shown in Figure 1 (a).
x Atmospheric Zone: is the section of the structure that is above the upper level of the splash
zone. This part is far from getting wet so its repairing is kind of simply compared with other zones
• Splash Zone: is the section of the structure that is above the mean high tide level. This part is
the most severely attacked region due to continuous contact to the air and wet that results from
spray, waves, and tidal actions.
x Submerged Zone: is the part of structure that located under the lowest level of splash zone
and its always below the water level [12]
The splash zone is very important region that need special consideration due to exposure to wet
and dry cycles, availability of oxygen and heavy wear and abrasion due to waves and tidal actions.
To perform the repairing process, there are two types of alternatives. Either the work is done after
water is excluded from the area to be repaired, or the repairing process is carried out under water.
Most of the methods used for repairing the above water region of marine structures can be used
for the underwater region also but with less efficiency. For the underwater regions, in order to
achieve repairing under dry conditions, it is possible to make a cofferdam around the damaged part
and exclude the water by pumping out. The method of conducting a cofferdam involves the use of
two halves of steel box that are joined together around the damaged part. Soft rubber is used to
lock the box and prevent water from entering during the repairing process. This way ensure that
the process takes place under dry conditions that contribute in using the traditional techniques.
The disadvantages of this method is the time consuming and the cost that result from the installing
the cofferdam and drawing water out the box. [8,13]
On the other hand, to carry out the repairing process under wet conditions, the main factor for
conducting this work is the presence of the diver. This method ensures the speedy start of the
repairing work, as it doesn’t require cofferdam, as well as provide sufficient flexibility to reach the
damage area, which sometimes represents the only way. The equipment used by maintenance
divers that designed to work underwater is very effective in carrying out such work. [12]
One of the traditional method for repairing is concrete encapsulation. Regardless the type of
concrete used in this method (normal or advanced concrete) the procedure for repairing is the
same. This method summarized by placing the molds around the structural element immersed in
water as shown in Figure 1. (b)

Fig:1 Traditional solution (a) Repair zones (b) concrete encapsulation method [1]

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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

The diameter of the mold is greater than the diameter of the structural element to be repaired by
the amount represent half the new cover. Normal concrete or advanced concrete is mixed on a side
and pumped into the molds using an external hose connected to a valve at the bottom of the mold.
The time required for raising the molds depends on the type of concrete used in repairing and the
period required for curing. In order to increase the load capacity of the repaired structural element,
its prefer to use reinforcement steel cage to replace the corroded reinforcement. While
encapsulation systems can be used without the use of cofferdams they are complicated and difficult
to deal with so it’s necessary to conduct this method by divers. Also, the main drawback of this
method is the difficulty of getting the best result of casting underwater concrete.
It is possible to restore the capacity of damaged structural element by replacing this element if the
damage rate is at its highest level. Or instead of removing the damaged structural member, it is
possible to add supplemental element so that it achieves the same structural purpose of the
damaged member. It is necessary to pay attention to the structural detailing that ensure the work
of the structural elements as a one unit. The replacement method is a vary labor- intensive repair
method [1-14]. The lack of available space to add additional supplemental element may be a factor
limiting the use of this alternative.

3. Underwater repairing using FRP

The traditional methods proved insufficient over time, in addition to being expensive in some
cases. Therefore, it became necessary to search for alternatives that achieve engineering efficiency
and lower costs. One of these alternatives is the use of FRP system [4]. FRP consist of fiber and
resin, the function of the fiber is to carry the loads, while the functions of the resin are to bond the
fibers together, transfer the load among the fibers and provide an external protection to the fibers.
There are three common types of fibers that used in industry such as glass, carbon and aramid.
The resin is classified as thermoset or thermoplastic depend on behavior during different
temperature [15].
The development that took place in resin technology made it possible to cure underwater which
help to create a good alternative to the traditional repair systems. Due to the negligible increase
in effective seismic weight (no additional weight due to section enlargement), easy installation (as
a result of its flexibility, which make it compatible with shape to be repaired) cost-effectiveness (
not required heavy equipment, tools, or frameworks), and lower maintenance costs (as its
excellent to resist the sever environment) , FRP as relatively new materials have attracted more
interest for application in submerge structures compared to the other traditional repairing
methods.

4. State of application
One of the successful case studies in repairing using FRP is Friendship Trail Bridge. In this bridge,
the FRP applied in repairing corroded pile as shown in Figure 2.

Fig. 2 Friendship Trail Bridge: view of pile [10]

This bridge is constructed in a very aggressive marine environment (between St. Petersburg and
Tampa, Florida, USA), so it’s expected to expose to deterioration within the time. Based on this
harsh conditions, it’s considered as an ideal site for the purpose of evaluating the performance of
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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

the FRP after the repair process. The details of the repaired pile is shown in Fig. 3
Two sensors are used to compare the corrosion rate based on recorded galvanic current.
Different FRP repairing systems were used in this project such as (pre-preg and wet layup) with
different FRP material such as (carbon and glass fiber).
In pre-preg repair system, the resin is pre-mixed and stay in the second stage of curing, also the
fiber is impregnated with pre-mixed resin. The pre-preg material supposed to store in a freeze to
prevent complete curing. The material is sticky and adheres easily on the substrate during the
repairing process. In wet layup, the process is the same with pre-preg with exception for the
process of impregnating the fiber with resin, as it is not prior, but rather tack place at the time of
repairing. The pre-preg system used in this project is called Aquawrp that consisted of water
activated resin pre-impregnated in carbon or glass fiber. The wet layup system consisted of
common fiber produced by Fyfe and the underwater epoxy. The test matrix and the manufacture
mechanical properties of the material are reported in table 1 and 2 respectively.

Fig. 3: details of the repaired pile (9)

Table 1: Test matrix for different repair systems

Repair system FRP type No. of layer in No. of layer in
longitudinal Dir. transvers Dir.
Carbon 1 2
Per-preg (Aquawrap) Carbon 1 2
Glass 2 4
Glass 2 4
Wet layup (Tyfo) Glass 2 4
Glass 2 4

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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

Table 2: Material mechanical properties for different repair systems

Repair system composite Tensile strength Elastic modulus
(MPa). (GPa)
Uni-directional GFRP 586 36
Per-preg (Aquawrap) Bi-directional GFRP 324 20
Uni-directional CFRP 827 76
Bi-directional CFRP 586 22
Wet layup (Tyfo) Uni-directional GFRP 460 21

According to ACI 440 guideline [16], interaction diagram for the pile repaired by FRP can be
developed exactly like the reinforced concrete column. Based on 20% loss of capacity, the
interaction diagram for different repairing system is shown in Fig. 4

1 kip=4.45 kN, 1 kip.in=113 N.m

Fig. 4: Interaction diagram for corroded and repaired pile [9]

It was found that the full capacity of the corroded pile can be restored either by using one
longitudinal and two transverse carbon layers or by using two longitudinal and four transvers
glass fiber layers.

5. FRP repairing procedure

For single separated pile, the corroded area above water (dry zone) or under water (splash zone)
can be repaired using boat and diver as an economical solution. While for the repair of a group of
piles, the use of scaffolding as shown in Fig.5 is the most economical solution [12]. Before using FRP,
surface preparation is the first step, which include removing the damage areas and replacing them
with appropriate quick set hydraulic cementitious material to ensure the flatness of the surface. As
well as grinding the sharp edge or corner to avoid stress concentration. Then washing the surface to
remove all dust and debris before performing the wrapping process. For pre-preg system, the FRP
was pre-impregnated in a factory and its ready to be applied on the prepared surface considering
the number of layers as specified in the design process. The longitudinal fiber is placed along the
length of the pile followed by transverse layers that are wrapped around the substrate, ending by
covering the last layer with plastic sheet for the curing purpose. The curing need one day, the last
layer of fiber painted to provide protection from UV rays. For the wet layup system, in contrast to
the first method, the fiber is impregnated with the underwater resin in-site. This method gives more
flexibility in term of controlling the length of fiber pieces to be used. After the completing the fully
saturation of fiber, the other steps are completely identical to the first system [18]. All details for this
project are available in final report [19]

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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

(a) (b)

(c)
Fig. 5:Repair single and group of piles (a) repair dry zone (b) repair splash zone
(c) Scaffolding system [17]

6. Results and discussions

The results of bond test after two years had been summarized in table 3. The bond was evaluated
using pull-out test for the repaired piles based on ASTM D7522. Two location was selected for
conducting the test, the first one on dry region and the other one on splash zone. The epoxy failure
is common mode of failure for most piles repaired using wet layup, while the inter-layer failure is
the mode of failure controlling the pile repaired by pre-preg method.

Table 3: summary for average pull-out bond test (unit: psi 1 MPa= 145 psi)
Type of fiber Dry region Splash region Mode of failure
Carbon 130.5 29 inter-layer
Glass 65 159.5 epoxy failure
These field results are in complete agreement with laboratory results conducted in this research
[20]. It is clear that the pre-preg system is suitable for the repair process in dry zone[21], while the
wet layup system is efficient in repairing the splash zone.

7. Conclusions
This research provides an overview of repairing system and material that used in marine or
hydraulic structures. Traditional method for repairing underwater structure are presented and
discussed in term of advantages and disadvantages. Also the alternative methods were discussed
such as wrapping with Aquawrap system (pre-preg and water activated resin) and wet layup system.
The pre-preg system is unquestionably the easier system to use since the fiber pre-impregnated in
factory. The field implementation of these systems has been successful in many projects done by
different researchers. Friendship Trail Bridge is the case study of this research. The full capacity of
the corroded pile can be restored in different scenarios: either by using one longitudinal and two
transverse carbon layers or by using two longitudinal and four transvers glass fiber layers. Also the
filed bond test which agreed with laboratory results showed that the pre-preg system is efficient for
repairing dry zones, and on the other hand, the wet layup system is very effective in repairing splash
zones of damaged structural elements.
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Water Resources in Iraq: Perspectives and Prognosis (ICWRPP 2022) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1120 (2022) 012046 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012046

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