Investigating the performance of fibre reinforced plastic repairs to timber marine civil structures at His Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport

Authors

Anna G. Walther

Document Type

Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Article

Abstract

This paper explores Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRPs) as a composite repair method to restore and enhance mechanical properties of timber marine civil structures within the context of His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport. To support this, timber composite specimens were manufactured and subjected to flexural and compressive strength tests. Comparisons are made to literature sources for initial predictions, in addition to hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models on SolidWorks. Data demonstrates that FRPs can be used as a cost-effective and beneficial method of repairing timber marine structures. Experimental data demonstrates an ability to restore compressive strength parallel to the grain to the original values, enhancing flexural strength by up to 18%, and improving compressive strength perpendicular to the grain threefold. This provides an opportunity to both enhance mechanical properties and consider strengthening marine structures built from timber, where required to meet operational demands.

Publication Date

2025-12

Publication Title

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Volume

18

Issue

2

ISSN

1754-2383

Deposit Date

2025-12

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Walther, Anna G. (2025) "Investigating the performance of fibre reinforced plastic repairs to timber marine civil structures at His Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport," The Plymouth Student Scientist: Vol. 18: Iss. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70156/1754-2383.1540
Available at: https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/tpss/vol18/iss2/1