Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School
 of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
 Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy


 USING CARBON FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER GRIDS AS CONFINEMENT
 REINFORCEMENT FOR CONCRETE

 By

 Antonis Petrou Michael

 August 2006

Chair: Homer R. Hamilton III
Major Department: Civil and Coastal Engineering

 Prestressed concrete piles are widely used in marine environments to support

docks, piers, bridges and other waterfront structures. Corrosion of the reinforcement

caused by the penetration of the sea salts through the concrete can cause severe

deterioration. Corrosion eventually forces replacement of the pile and the structure it

supports.

 Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement has been researched for a

number of years as a potential replacement for steel reinforcement. The significant

advantage that CFRP reinforcement holds over steel is that it is highly resistant to

deterioration in a harsh marine environment. One of the primary reasons, however, that

the CFRP reinforcement has not seen wider use is its lack of ductility.

 Rather than attempting to improve the CFRP ductility, which is very difficult to do,

the primary focus of the research reported in this dissertation was to improve the member

flexural ductility by confining the concrete in the compression zone. For that purpose a