Development of ductility design guidelines for RC beams with FRP reinforcing bars

Abstract

<jats:p> As corrosion is a common problem in steel reinforced concrete (RC), fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) reinforcement, that is corrosion resistant, has gained the attention of structural engineers. When overloaded, structural components must behave in a ductile fashion to provide adequate warning of imminent failure but due to the brittle nature of FRP materials, it has been difficult to incorporate ductility into FRP RC beams. However, previous research has revealed that placing FRP reinforcement in both the compression and the tensile zones of a beam section can result in a ductile failure mechanism, as the compressive FRP affects the ductile plateau of the moment-curvature sectional response. This paper quantifies minimum ductility requirements for the redistribution of bending moment in continuous FRP RC beams. Validation of ductility models by experimental testing allowed for the development of design rules to ensure that a beam incorporating FRP reinforcement will behave in a ductile fashion. </jats:p>