The Bond Behavior of Indigenously Manufactured Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars

Abstract

There is trend of using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) rods as reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete. This type of rebar provides a solution to the problem of durability of ordinary steel bars in reinforced concrete, which do not exhibit adequate corrosion resistance in a severe environment. FRP rebars exhibit good mechanical and corrosion resistance properties in severe conditions. Bond development is one of the main behavioral aspects of reinforced concrete structures. Tests by previous researchers have shown that the bond behavior of FRP rebars is different from that of steel rebars and also varies with the type FRP rebar material. There is need to develop better understanding of bond behavior in FRP rebars. In this research results from pullout bond tests performed on commercially available Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars manufactured in Pakistan are presented and discussed. The study evaluates the influence of various parameters that affect bond strength and development such as the embedment length, surface characteristics, and diameter of the bar as well as concrete strength. The results indicate that the spirally wrapped deformed GRFP rebars perform well in bond behavior. The concrete strength has no effect on bond strength, and the bond strength reduces with increase in GFRP rebar diameter and embedment length.