Progress in civil engineering is highly connected to the appearance of new materials. The materials iron and steel, reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete have been influencing the building culture since the beginning of industrialization.
From the 1990s carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) experience an increasing use for structural application.
This article gives an introduction to the properties of this high-performance material and presents the state of the art of CFRP tension elements with their corresponding anchorages. CRFP tension elements have high potential for lightweight and wide spread constructions like cable bridges and suspended roofs. Therefore the appropriate design regarding the material of CFRP tension elements is investigated at the Technical University of Berlin.