Bond characteristics of glass fibre reinforced polymer bars embedded in high performance and ultra-high performance concrete

The use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) bars is increasing in construction as an alternative to conventional steel rebars. This thesis investigates the bond behaviour of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars embedded in high performance concrete (HPC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). In this study, the bond characteristics of sand coated GFRP bars embedded in 70-175 MPa concrete were explored. Beam and pullout tests were performed to determine the effects of the concrete strength, bar diameter, embedment length, and concrete cover on the bond behaviour of GFRP bars. Based on the analysis, the development lengths for the GFRP bars were determined and then compared to requirements provided by design codes. It was concluded that the design code lengths could be reduced by 20% while still maintaining a factor of safety of two over the development lengths determined through this study. This reduction can be applied when the GFRP bar is surrounded by sufficient transverse reinforcement, such that adding additional reinforcement would not affect the bond strength. Reducing the amount of GFRP reinforcing material needed, results in a lower overall cost of construction.