Analytical behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with steel rebars and FPR rods

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) beam embedded with conventional steel reinforcement usually gives a ductile behavior but low strength, whereas use of novel fiber-reinforced-plastic (FRP) rods provides a higher ultimate strength but limited ductility. This chapter presents an analytical model generated to compute the flexural behavior of concrete section reinforced with conventional steel reinforcing bars and novel FRP rods. The model computes the flexural behavior of concrete members reinforced with conventional steel reinforcing bars and novel FRP rods. The model implementation is based on the use of the true stress-strain relationships for plain concrete, steel rebar, and FRP rod. The main variable considered is arrangement/depth of steel rebars and FRP rods. The chapter concludes with some particular findings from the model and the results are also compared with that of concrete beam reinforced only with steel rebars. One of the findings is that the failure of steel-reinforced section with addition of FRP rods is usually governed by concrete crushing or FRP snapping. Another finding, when steel rebars and FRP rods are employed, concrete crushing is usually accompanied by small value of FRP depth whereas breaking of FRP is normally the case for large value of FRP depth.