Flexural Characteristics of Concrete Beams Reinforced with a New Type of GFRP Bar

Abstract

Beam tests were conducted to investigate the characteristics of a newly developed type of glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar as reinforcement in flexural concrete members. Nine beams over-reinforced with different types of rebar, and with varying reinforcement ratios and depths of concrete cover, were monotonically loaded up to failure. Results were characterised by failure mode, moment-curvature, flexural capacity, load-deflection, and crack width. The test results were compared with the theoretical model and the American Concrete Institute design guide, which showed that the performance of the newly- developed GFRP rebar was comparable to commercially available GFRP rebars. In addition, a theoretical model for moment-curvature and an equation for predicting the flexural capacity of the beams with multiple layers of GFRP rebar are presented, based on the experimental observations.