Experimental study and code predictions of fibre reinforced polymer reinforced concrete (FRP RC) tensile members

Due to their different mechanical properties, cracking and deformability behaviour of FRP reinforced concrete (FRP RC) members is quite different from traditional steel reinforced concrete (SRC) having great incidence on their serviceability design. This paper presents and discusses the results of an experimental programme concerning concrete tension members reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the response of GFRP reinforced concrete (GFRP RC) tension members in terms of cracking and deformations. The results show the dependence of load-deformation response and crack spacing on the reinforcement ratio. The experimental results are compared to prediction models from codes and guidelines (ACI and Eurocode 2) and the suitability of the different approaches for predicting the behaviour of tensile members is analysed and discussed.