Review and validation of code expressions and developed models in last three decades estimating concrete shear strength of FRP-reinforced members without stirrups

Abstract

In recent years, FRP-reinforced bars have been widely used in various structural elements due to their favorable physical and mechanical properties. Because of its brittle failure nature, particularly under shear stresses, many researchers studied the structural behavior of such elements reinforced with FRP bars to develop their performance and forecast their shear capacity. This paper, as a review article, compares seven different code models and fifteen generated models during the last three decades. These models were used to estimate shear strength of 386 tested specimens acquired from 63 studies conducted during a 51-year period. The predicted shear strength was compared to the experimental data of these specimens. A parametric analysis was carried out at various ranges of shear design parameters, employing all 22 models to explore the best model in general and the best model at particular zones of design parameters. The study concluded that, while the Canadian code CSA S806–12 is the best among the different design codes for predicting the shear strength of FRP-reinforced members in general as well as at different ranges of design parameters, only two to three developed shear-models over the last thirteen years were more accurate in estimating the shear strength of such members.