Efficiency of Precast Concrete Tunnel Lining Segments Reinforced with GFRP Bars Under Bending Load

Abstract

AbstractPrecast concrete tunnel lining (PCTL) segments are subjected to a corrosive environment especially where imposed to the wastewater or aggressive soil. An effective approach to deal with the corrosion problem in conventional reinforced concrete (RC) tunnel segments is the use of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars as a substitution of conventional steel reinforcement. This study aimed to compare the structural behavior of a GFRP-reinforced PCTL segment with a steel-reinforced PCTL segment in terms of failure mode and load-deflection behavior. Two full-scale PCTL segments were tested under three-point load bending until failure; including one specimen reinforced with GFRP bars (reinforcement ratio of 0.5%) and the other with the same size and spacing but with steel bars. The length and width of segments are 3,100 and 1,500 mm, respectively, while the thickness is 250 mm. The results indicated that both GFRP-reinforced and steel-reinforced specimens experienced a flexural failure mode. Furthermore, the GFRP-reinforced specimen showed a higher load-carrying capacity with a higher ultimate load when compared to the counterpart steel-reinforced specimen.