Bond behavior of GFRP and steel bars in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete

Abstract

The bond behavior of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and steel bars embedded in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was investigated according to embedment length and bar diameter. Post-peak bond stress-slip softening curve of the GFRP bars was obtained, and a wedging effect was quantitatively evaluated. Test results indicated that a normalized bond strength of 5 was applicable for steel bars embedded in UHPFRC, and the development lengths of normal-and high-strength steel bars were determined to be 2 and 2.5 times the bar diameter, respectively. The GFRP bars exhibited approximately 70% lower bond strength than the steel bars, and the bond stress additionally applied by the wedging effect increased almost linearly with respect to the slip. Based on dimensionless bond stress and slip parameters, an appropriate theoretical model for the bond stress and slip relationship of steel bars in UHPFRC was suggested, and it was verified through comparison with the test data.