HOUSING AND BUILDING RESEARCH CENTER OF EGYPT

THE STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE EGYPTIAN CODE ON THE USE OF FIBER REINFORCED POLYMERS IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FIELDS Government organizations and other building owners are faced with great challenges in maintaining and rehabilitating their aging building infrastructure to minimize any negative impacts either environmental, social, or economical. They are searching for new technologies that enhance their ability to achieve this goal at cost effective approaches. One fast spreading technology is Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP).

FRP are light, strong composite materials made by bonding filaments in a matrix resin. FRP materials have high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, non-magnetic properties, and are lightweight. These materials are the subject of considerable worldwide investigation, and there have been several recent examples of their successful application.

Under the portfolio of Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Solyman, Minister of Construction, Housing, & New Urban Communities, the Housing and Building Research Center in Egypt (HBRC) is the responsible body for code development in Egypt among other responsibilities. With the leadership of Dr. Omaima Salah Eldin, Chairperson of the Board, HBRC has established the Standing Committee for the Egyptian Code on the use of FRP in the Design and Construction Fields.

AEAS’s Secretary General Dr. Mohamed Attalla has participated in the process as a consulting member in the Standing Committee and a member in two Sub-Committees namely the Material and the Strengthening Sub-Committees where he worked with a large number of Civil Engineering Scientists in Egyptian Universities, HBRC and North America to produce the code.

The attached photo was taken during a meeting for the Sub-Committee: FRP Materials for Strengthening and Repair of Concrete Structures. Photo (left to right): Eng. Tamer Berry, HBRC; Prof. Fatma ElZahraa Refaei, HBRC; Prof. Amr Salama, Helwan Univ.; Dr. Tarek Attia, HBRC; Prof. Ahmed Diab, Alex. Univ.; Prof. Omayma Slaheddin, Chairperson HBRC; Prof. Fouad H. Fouad, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Dr. Mohamed Attalla, Adjunct Univ. Waterloo; Prof. Ibrahim Mahfouz, Zagazig Univ.; Prof. Heba Bahnasawy, HBRC; Dr. Gehan Hamdy, Zagazig Univ.; Dr. Nadia Nofal, HBRC