Standard Specification for

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Composite Materials for Highway
and Bridge Structures

AASHTO Designation: MP 22-13 (2015)

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

444 North Capitol Street N.W., Suite 249
Washington, D.C. 20001

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Standard Specification for

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Composite Materials for Highway
and Bridge Structures

AASHTO Designation: MP 22-13 (2015)

1. SCOPE
1.1. This specification covers the requirements for fiber-reinforced polymeric composite material
systems intended for use in bridge and highway structures.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. AASHTO Standards:
 T 161, Resistance of Concrete to Rapid Freezing and Thawing
 AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications

2.2. ASTM Standards:

 D883, Standard Terminology Relating to Plastics
 D907, Standard Terminology of Adhesives
 D3039/D3039M, Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Polymer Matrix Composite
Materials
 D3878, Standard Terminology for Composite Materials
 D4065, Standard Practice for Plastics: Dynamic Mechanical Properties: Determination and
Report of Procedures
 D5229/D5229M, Standard Test Method for Moisture Absorption Properties and Equilibrium
Conditioning of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials
 D7137/D7137M, Standard Test Method for Compressive Residual Strength Properties of
Damaged Polymer Matrix Composite Plates
 D7290, Standard Practice for Evaluating Material Property Characteristic Values for
Polymeric Composites for Civil Engineering Structural Applications
 E1640, Standard Test Method for Assignment of the Glass Transition Temperature by
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
 G154-06, Standard Practice for Operating Fluorescent Ultraviolet (UV) Lamp Apparatus for
Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials

3. TERMINOLOGY
3.1. The terminology used in this standard is in accordance with that of ASTM D883, ASTM D907,
and ASTM D3878. When definitions of terms are conflicting, those of ASTM D3878 shall have
the precedence over those in ASTM D883 or ASTM D907.

TS-4f MP 22-1 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
3.2. Definitions:

3.2.1. adhesive—a substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment (ASTM
D907).

3.2.2. characteristic value—a statistically based value computed in accordance with ASTM D7290.

3.2.3. fillers—particulate materials added to the resin or adhesive material to alter its properties,
performance, or cost, or combinations thereof.

3.2.4. matrix—the material compound in which the fiber system of a composite is embedded.

3.2.5. resin—an organic polymer possessing indefinite and often high molecular weight and a softening
or melting range that exhibits a tendency to flow when subjected to stress.

4. REQUIREMENTS
4.1. The contractor shall submit for approval evidence of acceptable quality control procedures
followed in the manufacture of the composite reinforcement system. The quality control procedure
shall include, but not be limited to, specifications for raw material procurement, quality standards
for the final product, in-process inspection and control procedures, test methods, sampling plans,
criteria for acceptance or rejection, and record-keeping standards.

4.2. The contractor shall furnish information describing the fiber, matrix, and adhesive systems
intended for use as reinforcing materials that is sufficient to define their engineering properties.
Descriptions of the fiber system shall include the fiber type, percentage of fiber orientation in each
direction, and fiber surface treatments. Where required by the agency, the matrix and the adhesive
shall be identified by their commercial names and the commercial names of each of their
components, along with their weight fractions with respect to the resin system.

4.3. The contractor shall submit for approval test results demonstrating that the composite system and
its constituent materials are in conformance with the physical and mechanical property values
stipulated by the Engineer of Record. These tests shall be conducted by a testing laboratory
approved by the Engineer of Record. For each property value, the batches from which test
specimens were drawn shall be identified and the number of tested specimens from each batch, the
mean value, the minimum value, the maximum value, and the coefficient of variation shall be
reported. The minimum number of tested samples shall be 10.

4.4. When cured under conditions identical to those of the intended use, the composite material system
as well as the adhesive system, if used, shall conform to the following requirements:

4.4.1. The characteristic value of the glass transition temperature of the composite system, determined in
accordance with ASTM E1640, shall be at least 40°F (4.4°C) higher than the maximum design
temperature defined in Section 3.12.2.2 of AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. A
minimum sample size of 10 shall be used in the calculation of these values.

4.4.2. The characteristic value of the tensile failure strain in the direction corresponding to the highest
percentage of fibers shall not be less than 1 percent, when the tension test is conducted according
to ASTM D3039.

4.4.3. The average value and coefficient of variation of the moisture equilibrium content determined in
accordance with ASTM D5229/D5229M shall not be greater than 2 percent and 10 percent,
respectively. A minimum sample size of 10 shall be used in the calculation of these maximum
values.

TS-4f MP 22-2 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
4.4.4. After conditioning in the following environments, the characteristic value of the glass transition
temperature—determined in accordance with ASTM E1640, of the tensile strain of the composite
in the direction of interest, and determined in accordance with ASTM D3039—shall retain
85 percent of the values established in Sections 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. A minimum sample size of 10
shall be used in the calculation of these values.

4.4.4.1. Water—Samples shall be immersed in distilled water having a temperature of 100 ± 3°F
(38 ± 2°C) and tested after 3000 h of exposure. It shall be the option of the purchaser to specify a
higher temperature and duration of exposure.

4.4.4.2. Alternating Ultraviolet Light and Condensation Humidity—Samples shall be conditioned in an

apparatus under Cycle 1/UV exposure condition according to ASTM G154-06. The duration of the
exposure time shall not be less than 3000 h. Samples shall be tested within 2 h after removal from
the apparatus.

4.4.4.3. Alkali—The sample shall be immersed in a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide (pH ~ 12) at
ambient temperature of 73 ± 3°F (23 ± 2°C) for 3000 h prior to testing. The pH level shall be
monitored and the solution shall be maintained as needed.

4.4.4.4. Freeze–Thaw—Composite samples shall be exposed to 3000 repeated cycles of freezing and
thawing in an apparatus meeting the requirements of T 161.

4.4.5. Where impact tolerance is stipulated by the Engineer, the stipulated impact tolerance shall be
determined by ASTM D7137/D7137M.

4.5. Adhesive—When adhesive material is used to bond the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)
reinforcement to the concrete surface, the following requirements shall be met:

4.5.1. After conditioning in the environments stipulated in Sections 4.4.4.1 through 4.4.4.4, the
characteristic value of the glass transition temperature of the adhesive material, determined in
accordance with ASTM E1640, shall be at least 40°F (4.4°C) higher than the maximum design
temperature defined in Section 3.12.2.2 of the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.

5. KEYWORDS
5.1. Adhesive; characteristic value; matrix fiber-reinforced polymeric composite material system;
resin.

TS-4f MP 22-3 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.