Comparison of the effect of GFRP and steel reinforcement in concrete members subjected to compressive stress

Abstract

Composite materials became more popular and commercially available as reinforcement for concrete elements. Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bar is an excellent thermal and electrical insulator with high tensile strength and low weight. These assumptions make them a possible substitution for steel reinforcement. Moreover, GFRP is not responsible to corrosion for that are suitable for structures with high humidity and unfavorable environment. GFRP is easier to handle due to its low weight. Also, it has electromagnetic neutrality. But it has some disadvantages. It has a low modulus of elasticity and sensitivity to elevated temperatures. Another drawback and uncertainty with designing is the impact of an alkaline environment, which decreases the long-term strength of GFRP bars. This paper describes a pre-experiment study of concrete elements resistance. The analysis is performed for a cross-section of 200x150 mm for a short concrete column with steel and GFRP reinforcement. The study compares P-M diagrams for steel reinforcement and GFRP reinforcement with different reinforcement ratios. Other characteristics such as tensile strength and modulus of elasticity must be considered to design the GFRP reinforced concrete element. The study also considers the contribution of GFRP reinforcement in compression. The analysis has shown, the shape of interaction diagrams of steel and GFRP reinforcement are significantly different.