Ground anchor developments utilizing cfrp

Ground anchor utilization has rapidly increased over the course of many decades and has been implemented to many structures including dams, retaining walls, piles and bridge abutments. The use of steel tendon for ground anchors is commonly practiced throughout the world and is considered the most cost effective option in the current engineering climate. This however is not without flaws, specifically the durability of steel tendons is significantly less robust than that of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and as such utilization of these CFRP tendons is desirable to prevent corrosion from causing any future life-cycle issues that may arise in steel. This paper intends to identify the potential for ground anchors utilizing CFRP and to comment on current research being undertaken to reduce the barrier of entry for CFRP in the ground anchor market.