Reinforced concrete members in aggressive environments suffer significant deterioration due to corrosion of reinforcing steel. Recently, the use of fiber reinforced plastic bars as reinforcement in concrete members has been emerged as a technique to enhance corrosion resistance. Because of their corrosion resistance, high tensile strength and lightweight, fiber reinforced plastic bars have a potential to replace conventional steel bars in some applications, however, the mechanical behavior of this material is not well established and there is a need for further research to develop stiffness and strength models to design for serviceability and ultimate limit states. The behavior of one-way concrete slabs reinforced with glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) bars was investigated and compared with identical conventionally reinforced ones. The comparison include cracking pattern, load-deflection relationship, strength and ductility. The results show that GFRP bars are effective in providing adequate flexural strength . However, post-cracking stiffness is lower and deflection under load is much higher compared to steel reinforced slabs. Discussion of the ACI formulas for deflection is included. Nonductile flexural response of slabs reinforced with GFRP bars was evident.
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