Project seeks durable and sustainable solutions for bridges

Dubbed Climate Adaptation for REsilient Bridges (CARE), the project brings together researchers from Nottingham University and Luleå University of Technology in Sweden for the first time

In London, the 26-month closure of Hammersmith Bridge due to concerns about cracking in the infrastructure, as well as the ongoing RAAC concrete crisis, demonstrated that much of the UK’s current infrastructure is nearing, or has exceeded, its expected design life.

It is not economically or environmentally possible to simply replace bridges, so the only viable solution is to repair and strengthen them.

According to Nottingham University, polymer (FRP) composites are suitable for corrosion-damaged concrete structures, but they come with a high price, high environmental impact due to resin use, and poor fire resistance.

Consequently, a new generation of composites has been developed – Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Mortar (FRCM) – that are compatible with concrete, breathable, resistant to fire, applicable on wet surfaces, sustainable, reversible, low carbon, and cost-effective.