Flexural Behavior and Design of Steel-GFRP Reinforced Concrete Beams

摘要

This paper presents the behavior of concrete beams reinforced with hybrid reinforcement. The reinforcement uses the merits of steel and the anticorrosion characteristics of glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRPs). The steel bars were provided with an increased concrete cover to ensure extra protection against corrosion, while the GFRP bars were laid near the bottom surface to control cracking. The parameters included variable steel/GFRP reinforcement ratios and the configuration of stirrups that were used to confine the elevated steel bars or to confine both the steel and GFRP bars. A total of 12 beams were tested in flexure and the load-deflection response; the cracking patterns and the failure modes were recorded. A comprehensive analytical analysis was conducted to predict the ultimate loads of test beams. The test results showed that the performance of the proposed system was successful in maintaining the flexure strength with adequate stiffness and improved cracking characteristics.