• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2013

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been gathering interest from designers and engineers for its possible usage as a replacement reinforcement of a steel reinforcing bar due to its advantageous characteristics such as high tensile strength, non-corrosive material, etc. Since it is manufactured with various contents ratios, fiber types, and shapes without any general specification, test results for concrete members reinforced with these FRP reinforcing bars could not be systematically used. Moreover, since investigations for FRP reinforced members have mainly focused on short-term behavior, the purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term behaviors of glass FRP (GFRP) reinforcing bar and concrete beams reinforced with GFRP. In this paper, test results of tensile and bond performance of GFRP reinforcing bar and creep behavior are presented. In the creep tests, results showed that 100 years of service time can be secured when sustained load level is below 55% of tensile strength of GFRP reinforcing bar. A modification factor of 0.73 used to calculate long-term deflection of GFRP reinforced beams was acquired from the creep tests for GFRP reinforced concrete beams. It is expected that these test results would give more useful information for design of FRP reinforced members.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2019

In recent years, multiple experimental studies have been performed on using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars in reinforced concrete (RC) structural members. FRP bars provide a new type of reinforcement that avoids the corrosion of traditional steel reinforcement. In this study, predicting the shear strength of RC beams with FRP longitudinal bars using artificial neural networks (ANNs) is investigated as a different approach from the current specific codes. An ANN model was developed using the experimental data of 104 FRP-RC specimens from an existing database in the literature. Seven different input parameters affecting the shear strength of FRP bar reinforced RC beams were selected to create the ANN structure. The most convenient ANN algorithm was determined as traingdx. The results from current codes (ACI440.1R-15 and JSCE) and existing literature in predicting the shear strength of FRP-RC beams were investigated using the identical test data. The study shows that the ANN model produces acceptable predictions for the ultimate shear strength of FRP-RC beams (maximum $R^2{\approx}0.97$). Additionally, the ANN model provides more accurate predictions for the shear capacity than the other computed methods in the ACI440.1R-15, JSCE codes and existing literature for considering different performance parameters.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.101-104
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• 2008

The cost of repairing the deterioration of concrete structures due to corrosion of the reinforcement steel has been the prominent figure in the maintenacne of the reinforced-concrete infrastructures. As an alternative material to steel reinforcement, the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bar in concrete is being actively studied for the high resistance of chemical environment and high strength to weight ratio properties of FRP. However, there remain various aspects of FRP properties that still need to be studied before the standard design criteria can be established. One of the imminent issues is the bond between FRP and concrete. In this study, the bond-behavior of FRP bars in concrete is investigated via the pullout test with three varying parameters: surface condition of FRP bars, concrete compression strength, and cyclic loading patterns. As a result of experiment, the bond strength of GFRP increased with the concrete compression strength increasing and decreased with applying cyclic load.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.6
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• pp.585-599
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• 2023

Geopolymer concrete (GC) can be competently utilized as a practical replacement for cement to prevent a high carbon footprint and to give a direction toward sustainable concrete construction. Moreover, previous studies mostly focused on the axial response of glass fiber reinforced polymer (glass-FRP) concrete compressive elements without determining the effectiveness of repairing them after their partial damage. The goal of this study is to assess the structural effectiveness of partially damaged GC columns that have been restored using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (carbon-FRP). Bars made of glass-FRP and helix made of glass-FRP are used to reinforce these columns. For comparative study, six of the twelve circular specimens-each measuring 300 mm×1200 mm-are reinforced with steel bars, while the other four are axially strengthened using glass-FRP bars (referred to as GSG columns). The broken columns are repaired and strengthened using carbon-FRP sheets after the specimens have been subjected to concentric and eccentric compression until a 30% loss in axial strength is attained in the post-peak phase. The study investigates the effects of various variables on important response metrics like axial strength, axial deflection, load-deflection response, stiffness index, strength index, ductility index, and damage response. These variables include concentric and eccentric compression, helix pitch, steel bars, carbon-FRP wrapping, and glass-FRP bars. Both before and after the quick repair process, these metrics are evaluated. The results of the investigation show that the axial strengths of the reconstructed SSG and GSG columns are, respectively, 15.3% and 20.9% higher than those of their original counterparts. In addition, compared to their SSG counterparts, the repaired GSG samples exhibit an improvement in average ductility indices of 2.92% and a drop in average stiffness indices of 3.2%.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.625-638
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• 2017

The flexural behavior of Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets has gained much research interest in the flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. The study on flexure includes various parameters like increase in strength of the member due to the externally bonded (EB) Fiber reinforced polymer, crack patterns, debonding of the fiber from the structure, scaling, convenience of using the fibers, cost effectiveness, etc. The present work aims to study experimentally about the reasons behind the failure due to flexure of an externally bonded FRP concrete beam. In the design of FRP-reinforced concrete structures, deflection control is as critical as much as flexural strength. A numerical model is created using Finite element (FEM) software and the results are compared with that of the experiment.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.155-168
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• 2019

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the compressive strength of small scale concentrically axially loaded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) confined plain concrete columns, with cylinder concrete strength 19 MPa. For columns with circular (150-mm diameter) and square (150-mm side) cross sections wrapped with glass- and carbon-FRP sheets (GFRP and CFRP, respectively) applied with dry lay-up the effect of different jacket schemes and different overlap configurations on the confined characteristics is investigated. Test results indicate that the most cost effective jacket configuration among those tested is for one layer of CFRP, for both types of sections. In square sections the location of the lap length, either in the corner or along the side, does not seem to affect the confined performance. Furthermore, in circular sections, the presence of an extra wrap with FRP fibers parallel to the column's axis enhances the concrete strength proportionally to the axial rigidity of the FRP jacket. The recorded strains and the distributions of lateral confining pressures are discussed. Existing design equations are used to assess the lateral confining stresses and the confined concrete strength making use of the measured hoop strains.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2019

This paper presents a computational rational model to predict the ultimate and optimized load capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened by a combination of longitudinal and transverse fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite plates/sheets (flexure and shear strengthening system). Several experimental and analytical studies on the confinement effect and failure mechanisms of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapped columns have been conducted over recent years. Although typical axial members are large-scale square/rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns in practice, the majority of such studies have concentrated on the behavior of small-scale circular concrete specimens. A high performance concrete, known as polymer concrete, made up of natural aggregates and an orthophthalic polyester binder, reinforced with non-metallic bars (glass reinforced polymer) has been studied. The material is described at micro and macro level, presenting the key physical and mechanical properties using different experimental techniques. Furthermore, a full description of non-metallic bars is presented to evaluate its structural expectancies, embedded in the polymer concrete matrix. In this paper, the mechanism of mechanical interaction of smooth and lugged FRP rods with concrete is presented. A general modeling and application of various elements are demonstrated. The contact parameters are defined and the procedures of calculation and evaluation of contact parameters are introduced. The method of calibration of the calculated parameters is presented. Finally, the numerical results are obtained for different bond parameters which show a good agreement with experimental results reported in literature.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.281-300
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• 2014

This study presents the experimental results of twenty three reinforced concrete beams with rectangular web openings externally strengthened with Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) composites bonded around openings. All tested beams had the same geometry and reinforcement details. At openings locations, the stirrups intercepted the openings were cut during fabrication of reinforcement cage to simulate the condition of inclusion of an opening in an existing beam. Several design parameters are considered including the opening dimensions and location in the shear zone, the wrapping configurations, and the amount and the type of the FRP composites in the vicinity of the openings. The wrapping configurations of FRP included: sheets, strips, U-shape strips, and U-shape strips with bundles of FRP strands placed at the top and sides of the beam forming a fan under the strips to achieve closed wrapping. The effect of these parameters on the failure modes, the ultimate load, and the beam stiffness were investigated. The shear contribution of FRP on the shear capacity of tested beams with web openings was estimated according to ACI Committee 440-08, Canadian Standards S6-06, and Khalifa et al. model and examined against the test results. A modification factor to account for the dimensions of opening chords was applied to the predicted gain in the shear capacity according to ACI 440-08 and CSA S6-06 for bonded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) around openings. The analytical results after incorporating the modification factor into the codes guidelines showed good agreement with the test results.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2015

In this paper lead zirconate titanate transducers (PZT) are employed for damage detection of four reinforced concrete (RC) column specimens retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) jackets. A major disadvantage of FRP jacketing in RC members is the inability to inspect visually if the concrete substrate is damaged and in such case to estimate the extent of damage. The parameter measured during uniaxial compression tests at random times for known strain values is the real part of the complex number of the Electromechanical Admittance (Conductance) of the sensors, obtained by a PXI platform. The transducers are placed in specific positions along the height of the columns for detecting the damage in different positions and carrying out conclusions for the variation of the Conductance in relation to the position the failure occurred. The quantification of the damage at the concrete substrate is achieved with the use of the root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) index, which is evaluated for the corresponding strain values. The experimental results provide evidence that PZT transducers are sensitive to damage detection from an early stage of the experiment and that the use of PZT sensors for monitoring and detecting the damage of FRP-retrofitted reinforced concrete members, by using the Electromechanical Admittance (EMA) approach, can be a highly promising method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.3
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• pp.283-300
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• 2024

Machine learning (ML) models based on artificial neural network (ANN) and decision tree (DT) were developed for estimation of axial capacity of concrete columns reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. Between the design codes, the Canadian code provides better formulation compared to the Australian or American code. For empirical models based on elastic modulus of FRP, Hadhood et al. (2017) model performed best. Whereas for empirical models based on tensile strength of FRP, as well as all empirical models, Raza et al. (2021) was adjudged superior. However, compared to the empirical models, all ML models exhibited superior performance according to all five performance metrics considered. The performance of ANN and DT models were comparable in general. Under the present setup, inclusion of the transverse reinforcement information did not improve the accuracy of estimation with either ANN or DT. With selective use of inputs, and a much simpler ANN architecture (4-3-1) compared to that reported in literature (Raza et al. 2020: 6-11-11-1), marginal improvement in correlation could be achieved. The metrics for the best model from the study was a correlation of 0.94, absolute errors between 420 kN to 530 kN, and the range being 0.39 to 0.51 for relative errors. Though much superior performance could be obtained using ANN/DT models over empirical models, further work towards improving accuracy of the estimation is indicated before design of FRP reinforced concrete columns using ML may be considered for design codes.