Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams without Stirrups and Strengthened with Basalt Fiber–Reinforced Polymer Sheets

Abstract

This paper reports on a series of four-point bending experiments to investigate the shear capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with externally bonded basalt fiber–reinforced polymer (BFRP) sheets. The experimental results show that BFRP sheets can significantly increase RC beams’ shear capacity and ductility. To analyze the fracture and mechanical behaviors of BFRP sheet–strengthened RC beams, a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element model (FEM) based on the application of cohesive elements was developed. Mixed-mode constitutive models of the BFRP–concrete interface, the concrete potential fracture surface, and the reinforcement–concrete interface were proposed. The proposed constitutive models were able to characterize the interface’s normal separation, tangential slip, and friction. A comparison of the simulation and experimental results indicates that the proposed numerical model can appropriately simulate the mechanical response, crack propagation, and crack distribution of BFRP sheet–strengthened RC beams. Finally, based on the proposed 3D FEM, a series of numerical tests were conducted to investigate the influence of key parameters (i.e., sheet elastic modulus, sheet bonding area, and sheet bonding angle) on the shear capacity of BFRP sheet–strengthened RC beams.