Doubly Reinforcing Cementitious Beams with Instrumented Hollow Carbon Fiber Tendons

Abstract

Surface mounted strain gages are used to characterize the behavior of polymer-enhanced cementitious beams designed to withstand reverse loadings. These unique composite structures are doubly reinforced with hollow carbon fiber (graphite) tendons equipped with strain gages and the study includes section design, materials considerations, structural testing, and finite element analysis. The primary purpose of strain gage integration is to insure that the stress in the materials remains within the elastic range so that damage does not occur. A finite element model is developed to characterize the structural response in the elastic range and a hybrid approach is suggested in which displacement, strain, and stress can be obtained with a single strain gage. The ability to characterize structural performance beyond the elastic range is also demonstrated by analyzing data obtained from displacement-controlled tests.