COMPANY HISTORY
QuakeWrap® History: FRP Innovation Since 1987
In 1987 Prof. Mo Ehsani began research on strengthening concrete beams with FRP. That work led to the wet layup method, a company founded in 1994 and renamed QuakeWrap® in 2003, and a family of patented products used on more than 1,000 projects in 28 countries.
1987 TO 1997
Research Roots at the University of Arizona
Before the company had its name, Prof. Ehsani's university research introduced FRP strengthening to the construction industry.
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1987
FRP beam research begins
Prof. Ehsani pioneers research on strengthening concrete beams with FRP. The first technical paper on the approach, written with Prof. Hamid Saadatmanesh, is published by ACI in Concrete International in March 1990.
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1989
Column wrapping concept
Prof. Ehsani develops the concept of strengthening concrete columns with FRP and presents it to the California Department of Transportation for research funding.
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1991
NSF funds column research
The National Science Foundation funds University of Arizona research on strengthening concrete columns with fiber composites, about $200,000 from 1991 to 1995.
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1992
Masonry wall research
An NSF grant funds Prof. Ehsani's study of seismic strengthening of unreinforced masonry with fiber composite fabrics. A follow-on NSF grant for masonry walls in out-of-plane bending starts in 1995.
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1994
Company founded
After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, engineers in California ask Prof. Ehsani to use the technology on damaged buildings. That year he incorporates Structural Rehabilitation Group, and its products strengthen two buildings in southern California.
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1996
ACI 440 state-of-the-art report
Prof. Ehsani chairs an ACI subcommittee and is the primary author of the ACI 440 state-of-the-art report on fiber reinforced plastic reinforcement for concrete structures (ACI 440R-96).
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1997
First U.S. patent
U.S. Patent 5,640,825 is issued to Prof. Ehsani and Prof. Saadatmanesh for strengthening masonry and concrete walls with composite straps and high-strength random fibers.
2003 TO 2012
Building QuakeWrap® and Its First Patented Products
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2003
Renamed QuakeWrap, Inc.
The company takes the QuakeWrap name and obtains contractor's licenses in Arizona and California.
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2004
SEAoA Award of Excellence
The Structural Engineers Association of Arizona gives its Award for Excellence in Structural Engineering (Retrofit) for the Coolidge High School gymnasium, where glulam beams were strengthened with carbon FRP.
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2005
History Channel documentary
QuakeWrap® products and methods are featured in a History Channel documentary aired in March 2005.
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2006
Fox Theatre and McKinley Tower awards
An SEAoA Award of Excellence in Structural Engineering for the retrofit of the historic Fox Theater in Tucson, and an ICRI Award of Excellence for the seismic retrofit of McKinley Tower in Anchorage, Alaska.
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2007
ICRI Award of Merit and CNN
An ICRI Award of Merit for the Fox Theater retrofit. After the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Prof. Ehsani is the first technical expert to appear live on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360.
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2008
ICRI Award of Excellence and a new building
An ICRI Award of Excellence for restoring large-diameter prestressed concrete pipelines. QuakeWrap® opens its first international office, in Mexico, and moves into a new building for its office and warehouse.
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2009
SuperLaminate™ developed
QuakeWrap® develops SuperLaminate™ for repair of pipelines, columns and underwater piles. A mile-long pipeline repair in Costa Rica earns a Trenchless Technology Project of the Year honorable mention.
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2009
Prof. Ehsani joins QuakeWrap® full time
After a 28-year career at the University of Arizona, Prof. Ehsani retires in December 2009 as Professor Emeritus to devote his full attention to QuakeWrap®.
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2010
SuperLaminate™ introduced
In March 2010, on the 20th anniversary of the first FRP beam paper, Prof. Ehsani introduces SuperLaminate™ to the construction industry. The Costa Rica penstock repair earns an ICRI Award of Merit, and a blast retrofit of a U.S. Army building earns an SEAoA Award of Merit.
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2011
StifPipe® and Project of the Year
QuakeWrap® introduces StifPipe®, a honeycomb FRP pipe that can be custom built to any size and shape. PipeMedic® laminates bridge a 2 ft gap in a leaking high-pressure gas main in Paterson, New Jersey, the Trenchless Technology Rehabilitation Project of the Year.
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2012
InfinitPipe® introduced
QuakeWrap® introduces InfinitPipe®, a non-corroding pipe manufactured on site that eliminates nearly all joints. News of the invention spreads widely online in August 2012.
2013 TO 2019
Patents, Grants and Military Testing
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2013
NSF SBIR award and blast hardening
The National Science Foundation awards QuakeWrap® a $150,000 SBIR Phase I grant to develop InfinitPipe®. In November, QuakeWrap® FRP reinforces walls of the United Nations building in Beirut, Lebanon against blast loads.
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2014
Seamless shell patent and pipe testing
U.S. Patent 8,650,831 is issued for reconstruction of structural elements with a seamless FRP shell. The Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech evaluates InfinitPipe® in July 2014.
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2015
Agency testing of PileMedic®
A Texas DOT study at the University of Houston and Texas Tech restores capacity in 13 of 14 corroded steel H-piles repaired with FRP jackets patented by Prof. Ehsani. Missouri S&T publishes a Caltrans-funded study of an earthquake-damaged bridge column repaired with prefabricated CFRP laminates.
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2016
ASCE Innovation Award and a new headquarters
StifPipe® wins the ASCE 2016 Innovation Award as the world's first green and sustainable pipe. U.S. Patent 9,376,782 is issued for repair of piles and pipes with FRP laminates. QuakeWrap® headquarters expand for a second time, to the Tucson Airport area.
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2017
SPiRe® debuts and Pearl Harbor
SPiRe® debuts at Underwater Intervention 2017. U.S. Army and Navy divers repair marine piles with PileMedic® at a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. U.S. Patent 9,719,255 is issued for buckling reinforcement of structural members.
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2017
Exports, research funding and press
The U.S. Department of Commerce recognizes QuakeWrap® as a model exporter. USDA NIFA awards a $100,000 SBIR Phase I grant for InfinitPipe® in agriculture. National Geographic's Chasing Genius challenge publishes 'Pipe in a Box', an InfinitPipe® idea for clean water, and QuakeWrap® publishes its first complete catalog.
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2018
Army Corps report selects PileMedic®
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's PIER Spiral 1 report selects PileMedic® after evaluating commercial pile jackets for expedient port repair. U.S. Patent 9,890,546 is issued for reinforcement of structural columns.
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2018
Engineer of the Year and export recognition
Prof. Ehsani is named 2018 Engineer of the Year by the ASCE Southern Arizona Branch. QuakeWrap® receives Sun Corridor EDGE export recognition for 2017 to 2018. PipeMedic® laminates reinforce a tap on PSE&G's 36 in. gas main in New Jersey, the 2018 Trenchless Technology Rehabilitation Project of the Year.
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2019
25 years
QuakeWrap® marks 25 years and Prof. Ehsani is named a Life Member of ASCE. USDA NIFA awards a $625,000 SBIR Phase II grant for InfinitPipe®, and the EPA funds a $100,000 SBIR Phase I for SuperLaminate™. U.S. Patent 10,436,350 is issued for trenchless pipe-laying.
2020 TO TODAY
Recent Milestones
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2020
U.S. DOT SBIR Phase I and spacer patent
The U.S. Department of Transportation awards $150,000 in SBIR Phase I funding to develop internal repair of steel transmission pipelines. U.S. Patent 10,808,412 is issued for spacers for repair of columns and piles.
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2021
SPiRe® patent
U.S. Patent 10,968,631, Structure Reinforcement Partial Shell, is issued in April 2021.
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2022
$1 million U.S. DOT SBIR Phase II
The U.S. DOT awards QuakeWrap® $1,000,000 in SBIR Phase II funding for no-dig point repair of steel oil and gas pipelines. U.S. Patent 11,286,632 is issued for the shear transfer ring and clamp behind ShearWrap™ and ShearClamp™. IAPMO UES issues Evaluation Report ER-828 for QuakeWrap® FRP systems.
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2023
Reusable form patent
U.S. Patent 11,591,810 is issued for a reusable, adjustable-size form for repair and reinforcement of structures.
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2025
Evolution of FRP products
Concrete International publishes Prof. Ehsani's 'Evolution of FRP Products for Concrete Repair' in April 2025.
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Today
1,000+ projects in 28 countries
QuakeWrap® develops, manufactures and supports patented FRP products from Tucson, Arizona, working with engineers, owners and contractors worldwide.
GOING GLOBAL
How Exporting Took QuakeWrap® Worldwide
Prof. Ehsani on how U.S. trade programs helped introduce QuakeWrap® products to engineers and owners in other countries.
Plays from YouTube
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Read the Original Documents
Papers, patents and articles behind the milestones above.
MEDIA COVERAGE- CONCRETE INTERNATIONAL, MARCH 1990 Fiber Composite Plates Can Strengthen Beams The first paper on strengthening concrete beams with FRP
- U.S. PATENT, 1997 U.S. Patent 5,640,825 Strengthening masonry and concrete walls with composite straps
- TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY, OCTOBER 2011 Rehab Project of the Year: CIPP of Leaking High-Pressure Gas Main
- UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, FALL 2011 Civil View: Prof. Ehsani and QuakeWrap
- TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY, OCTOBER 2018 36-in. CIPL Gas Main Rehabilitation Project
- PRESS RELEASE, MARCH 2022 QuakeWrap Wins $1M Federal Research Grant to Develop Pipeline Repair
- CONCRETE INTERNATIONAL, APRIL 2025 Evolution of FRP Products for Concrete Repair
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