Abstract
An innovative beam concept made from hollow FRP tube with external flanges and filled with crumbed rubber concrete was investigated with respect to bending and shear. The performance of the rubberised-concrete-filled specimens was then compared with hollow and normal-concrete-filled tubes. A comparison between flanged and non-flanged hollow and concrete-filled tubes was also implemented. Moreover, finite element simulation was conducted to predict the fundamental behaviour of the beams. The results showed that concrete filling slightly improves bending performance but significantly enhances the shear properties of the beam. Adding 25% of crumb rubber in concrete marginally affects the bending and shear performance of the beam when compared with normal-concrete-filled tubes. Moreover, the stiffness-to-FRP weight ratio of a hollow externally flanged round tube is equivalent to that of a concrete-filled non-flanged round tube. The consideration of the pair-based contact surface between an FRP tube and infill concrete in linear finite element modelling predicted the failure loads within a 15% margin of difference.
Highlights
An externally flanged FRP tube has been developed as a reinforcing component to structural members
Flanged hollow FRP tubes stabilise the void area of the concrete from sudden collapse, and provide additional reinforcement to the structure, minimising structural weight by reducing sectional dimensions, which can offset the initial cost of FRP
All specimens tested under four-point bending (FPB) and short beam shear (SBS) showed transverse bending of the flanges
Summary
An externally flanged FRP tube has been developed as a reinforcing component to structural members These lightweight, high strength and corrosion free FRP tubes offer dimensional stability for structures and rapid installation in construction sites. This technology has been developed primarily to reduce the volume and overall mass of concrete structures, and can minimise costs, improve durability and reduce the carbon footprint of the built asset [1,2]. Externally flanged FRP tubes have been used in composite piles for retaining wall applications where the tubes were filled with concrete to resist bending loads from adjacent soil pressure [3,4] This type of tube can be used for manufacturing composite railway sleepers, which the rail industry is currently looking for [5,6]. An in-depth understanding of the bending and shear behaviour of concrete-filled tube is essential as the strength and stiffness of the sleepers are primarily dependent on the tube’s performance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
