GFRP - Concrete Barrier Panel Demonstrated in Seawall Restoration Project

Release time: 2025/07/30 Publisher： original Views：

Under the harsh erosive conditions of the marine environment, the protection and restoration of seawalls are of critical importance. During the construction of Phase II of the Guanyun County Guanxi Section Seawall Restoration Project in Jiangsu, the project owner and contractor successfully applied the technological achievements from NEXCEL TDA project, titled 'Preparation and application of FRP bent bar under corrosive environment'. This collaborative project involved Tongji University, Hunan University, and Jiangsu Chemlead New Material Co., Ltd. The research outcomes on GFRP stirrup production technology for concrete structures significantly improved both production efficiency and mechanical performance. These advancements laid a solid foundation for the scaled application of GFRP reinforcement in coastal engineering projects.

Demonstration Project Overview:

Phase II of the Guanyun County Guanxi Section Seawall Restoration Project focuses on repairing the damaged seawall section from Liuwei Sluice Gate eastward to the Huaneng Thermal Power Plant (Figure 1), with a total length of 4.85 kilometers. Among these, the barrier panel reinforcement method is adopted as the primary restoration approach, covering a length of 1.6 kilometers and a total area of 18,263.26 square meters. The implementation of this project not only restores and strengthens the seawall’s structural performance, but also effectively extends its service life, contributing to the long-term resilience of coastal infrastructure.

Figure 1. Location of Demonstration Project

In this project, the concrete barrier panels adopt an all-GFRP reinforced concrete structure, incorporating both GFRP longitudinal bars and GFRP stirrups (Figure 2). The stirrups used are 8 mm diameter helical GFRP stirrups, all with a bending radius of 3d. Approximately 120 tons of GFRP stirrups were used in this project, including over 30 tons of petroleum-based resins, marking a successful application of petroleum-based materials in coastal engineering.

Figure 2. All-GFRP Reinforced Concrete Barrier Panel Component

The project was launched in September 2024, and construction of the barrier panel reinforcement section is scheduled for completion by July 2025 (Figure 3). With the successful implementation of this demonstration project, it is estimated that within the next five years, over 100 kilometers of GFRP-reinforced concrete barrier panels will be used in seawall restoration projects along Jiangsu’s coastal areas.

Figure 3. On-site Construction of concrete barrier panels

The GFRP stirrups developed from this project have also been successfully implemented in the Dinh An Port project (Figure 4) and Coastal Retaining Wall project in the Waterfront Area of Barka, Oman (Figure 5). This signifies a new era for the application of GFRP stirrups in coastal engineering, ushering in a phase of scalable adoption. As material costs continue to decrease and manufacturing processes become more refined, the future holds significant promise for GFRP-reinforced concrete structures. These innovative materials are anticipated to be widely adopted across a diverse range of applications, including port terminals, coastal and cross-sea bridges, and offshore wind power foundations. This widespread adoption will undoubtedly accelerate the transformation of coastal and offshore infrastructure towards sustainable and long-lasting development.

Figure 4. On-site Construction of Dinh An Port

Figure 5. On-site Construction of Coastal Retaining Wall Project