In May, CEN members were invited to approve the conversion of European Technical Specification CEN/TS 19101: 2022: Design of Fibre-Polymer Composite Structures into a Eurocode. Voting closed on 7 July, with the proposal approved unanimously. Following completion of the final procedural steps, Eurocode 11 is expected to be published by June 2028.
The Eurocode will comprise three parts:Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings, bridges and civil engineering structures;Part 1-2: Structural fire design;Part 2: Execution.
The provisions set out across the three parts have been widely recognised for their usefulness and technical completeness.This progress has been delivered through the work of CEN Technical Committee 250 (TC250) Working Group WG4, led by Professor Luigi Ascione of the University of Salerno.EuCIA has actively supported and participated in this work, represented in CEN TC250 WG4 by board member Eric Moussiaux and Professor Roberto Frassine, President of EuCIA.
Professor Roberto Frassine: “We congratulate the CEN project team on this achievement. A dedicated Eurocode for composite materials represents a landmark for the European composites industry. By establishing composites as a recognised construction material alongside steel, concrete and aluminium, the new Eurocode will support wider adoption of composite solutions and contribute to a more sustainable construction sector in Europe.”
Professor Luigi Ascione: “This milestone is the result of almost 20 years of dedication by many experts across Europe. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to EuCIA for its continuous support and constructive engagement throughout this process. The close cooperation between academia, standardisation bodies and industry has been essential to bringing this Eurocode to fruition and will help ensure its successful implementation across Europe.”
Building confidence in composite design
Across Europe, a number of national design guides for composite materials have been issued. However, a more comprehensive and harmonised framework is needed to give engineers confidence in designing safe and reliable structures using composite materials. Published in November 2022, CEN/TS 19101 was the result of more than 12 years of work by CEN TC250 WG4 and provides clear guidance on the design of structures based on fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites.Following its publication, the guidelines in the Technical Specification underwent extensive testing by the composites industry and the wider building and construction community. A further step was taken in March 2023, when a proposal for CEN TC250 to develop execution provisions for fibre-polymer composite structures was accepted. These provisions address production, installation and maintenance procedures not covered in the Technical Specification.
