Accelerated degradation of recycled plastic piling in aggressive soils

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites represent an alternative construction m aterial without many of the performance disadvantages of traditional materi als. The use of fiber-re info rc ed polymer as a pile material can eliminat e deterioration problems of conventional piling materials in waterfront env ironments and aggressive soils. This paper presents the preliminary results of an experimental study conducted to assess the durability of piling made of recycled plastics in aggressive soils for long-term usage in civil infr astructure applications. An accelerated testing protocol permitting predict ion of the behavior of plastic piles was developed. Specimens were exposed to solutions with fixed acidic, basic, and neutral pH at elevated temperatu res. Compressive strength was used as an index to quantify the degradation of the specimens. An Arrhenius model was used to predict the service life o f the product.