Serviceability and Ultimate Load Behavior of Concrete Beams Reinforced with Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars

摘要

The flexural properties of eight 200 × 300 mm (8 × 12 in.) concrete beams reinforced with basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) reinforcing bars were investigated. The beams were reinforced with four different sizes of BFRP (10, 13, 16, and 25 mm). The flexural reinforcement ratios ρ_f ranged from 1.43 to 10.70 times the balanced ratio ρ_(fb). The beams were divided into three categories with low, moderate, and high ρ_f. As expected, all the beams failed by crushing of the concrete in the top compression fiber. Higher ρ_f/ρ_(fb), to some extent, has a better effect on reducing the deflection than increasing the beam s ultimate strength. The strain compatibility equation per ACI 440.1R-06 was conservative in predicting the ultimate flexural strain in the BFRP bars and the ultimate moment capacity. The effective moment of inertia (I_e) prediction model recommended by ACI 440.1R was the least conservative among other models when compared with the experimental I_e.