EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF RC BEAM REINFORCED BY EXTERNALLY BONDED FRP GRID

Abstract

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material which exhibits light weight, high strength, and high stiffness was developed. It has been actively experimentally utilized in the construction field. FRP fibers are mostly made of Carbon, Aramid, and Glass. However, another material named basalt has been recently developed because it is more ecofriendly compared to the existing materials. Therefore, in this study, a four-point bending test was performed on reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with CFRP and BFRP grids. As a result, the behavior changes of the specimen were observed due to the differences of the material properties. It confirmed that the specimen reinforced with BFRP grid was more ductile than that reinforced with CFRP grid even after the yield of rebar. It is because BFRP material possesses lower stiffness and longer elongation compared to CFRP. Moreover, reinforcing with BFRP can prevent brittle failure of the beam compared to CFRP even CFRP is more expensive and harmful to environment. © 2022 ISEC Press.