Recently, FRP  (fibre reinforced polymers) materials are increasingly used in concrete structures, both for the strengthening of existing structures and as an internal reinforcement of concrete elements. It is due to convenient mechanical and physical properties of this kind of material. However, the use of these innovative materials as a reinforcement of concrete structures often requires a modification of the design process used for steel reinforcement.
At present, a large number of bridge structures are in a very poor condition and require remediation due to corrosion of the steel reinforcement. Composite reinforcement appears to be a suitable alternative to steel reinforcement in these application areas. However, since bridge decks are directly exposed to repeated traffic loads, fatigue assessment is an important and often crucial part of the design. The number of studies dealing with the fatigue behaviour of internal FRP reinforcement is currently very limited. In particular, there is currently no study that sufficiently deals with the comprehensive determination of the effect of fatigue loading on the bond between FRP reinforcement and concrete.
The doctoral thesis deals with the design of concrete elements reinforced with modern composite FRP reinforcement exposed to high-cyclic (fatigue) loading. Thanks to the performed extensive experimental programme, it was possible to determine the permissible limit values of fatigue load to ensure the required fatigue life. Based on these limiting values, the design and subsequent fatigue testing of full-scale concrete roofing slabs intended for aggressive environments was performed.