BUILDINGS & BRIDGES
Foundation Repair With FRP
Corrosion in coastal, marine, refinery and mining environments cracks concrete foundations and attacks their steel, and some foundations were built with too little reinforcing. QuakeWrap® FRP and PileMedic® repair them in a short time, with little or no disruption.
- Axial & shear strengthening
- Moisture barrier slows corrosion
- Virtually no added size
MATCHING PRODUCTS
QuakeWrap® Systems for Foundations
-
Wet & Dry Layup FRP
Carbon and glass fabric systems for beams, columns, slabs and walls.
Explore Wet & Dry Layup FRP -
PileMedic®
Laminate jackets for piles and columns, even underwater.
Explore PileMedic® -
Custom FRP Shapes
Shells, forms and components built to fit.
Explore Custom FRP Shapes
Not sure which system fits?
Tell us about the structure and conditions. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system.
WHY FOUNDATIONS NEED REPAIR
Why Foundations Lose Capacity
-
Aggressive environments
Coastal, marine, refinery and mining sites corrode the reinforcing steel and crack the concrete.
-
Too little reinforcing
An improper design that did not call for enough reinforcing steel has to be corrected.
-
Corroded piles and supports
Steel piles under buildings and the foundations of towers in water lose section to corrosion.
HOW IT WORKS
How FRP Repairs a Foundation
FRP fabric or PileMedic® laminates are bonded or wrapped around the foundation element. They can increase its axial and shear capacity with virtually no increase in size, which matters when the foundation sits next to other structures or below grade.
The FRP also serves as a moisture barrier, significantly reducing the corrosion rate of the steel inside. Repairs are fast and cause minimal disruption of service.
The number of layers and the orientation of the fabric or laminate are set for each foundation. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system and provide specifications for your engineer of record.
- Increases axial and shear capacity
- Moisture barrier against future corrosion
- Virtually no increase in foundation size
- Fast, with minimal disruption of service
PROVEN RESULTS
Foundation and Pile Cap Projects
-
Port of Long Beach, California
Steel pipe piles and their pile cap reinforced with an FRP jacket and panel.
View the project -
Steel Pipe Pile Repair
How corroded steel foundation piles are repaired by encasing the corroded length in a new shell with a bolted load path, without welding.
Read the article
More foundation projects
A transmission tower foundation in the water at Key West, Florida, repaired with PileMedic® in June 2011, and 160 steel H-piles repaired under the Town Square Mall foundation in Vestal, New York, in November 2022. Tell us about your foundation and our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system.
Foundations FAQs
Can FRP increase the capacity of a foundation?
Yes. FRP fabric and PileMedic® laminates can increase the axial and shear capacity of foundation elements with virtually no increase in their size.
Will FRP stop the foundation from corroding again?
It slows it significantly. The FRP acts as a moisture barrier around the concrete and steel, which reduces the corrosion rate.
Can foundations in water be repaired?
Yes. PileMedic® installs in water. In one of its earlier applications, the corroded foundation of a transmission tower in the water at Key West, Florida, was repaired with PileMedic® in June 2011.
Can you provide specifications and design details for our engineer?
Yes. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system and provide product data sheets, specifications and sample design details for your engineer of record.
Related FRP Repair Applications
Have a Project That Needs Repair?
Tell us about your structure. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system and provide specifications for your engineer.