GFRP PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAMS - A PILOT STUDY

摘要

The use of FRP reinforcement for concrete members has increased in the last ten years due to their corrosion resistance nature, their high tensile strength and their high stiffness to weight ratio. Most of the published studies have focused on the behaviour concrete members reinforced with Glass FRP (GFRP) bars and very little attention has been given to concrete members prestressed with GFRP bars due to their high relaxation and susceptibility to creep rupture. In this study, the results of an experimental program that investigates the flexural behaviour of concrete beams prestressed with new generation of high strength GFRP bars are presented. Data on the early relaxation indicated that the GFRP bars had little or no relaxation with time. In terms of their flexural behaviour, GFRP prestressed beams showed higher cracking and ultimate loads and less deflection when compared to GFRP reinforced beams. An analytical model using the layered approach was successfully used to predict the flexural behaviour of GFRP prestressed concrete beams.