Abstract
The present work first involved the fabrication of continuous hybrid Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) in the forms of sheet and rod. Second, the health monitoring functions of hybrid CFRP composites and CFRP-strengthened beams are also demonstrated by the resistance measurement method. The results reveal that the hybrid CFRP and concrete beams strengthened with hybrid CFRP possess, intrinsically, the function of detecting the damages in terms of the electrical conductivity and piezoresistivity of carbon fibers. As designed, the resistance changes in a stepwise manner as a function of strain or stress. In addition, the hybrid CFRP are also able to provide a useful warning of the impending of catastrophic fractures, and they can sustain further loads even after the initial rupture of high modulus carbon fibers.
