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Nonmetallic prestressing tendons, made of fibre-reinforced composite materials, are being proposed as alternatives to steel prestressing tendons for bridges and parking garage structures, where corrosion is the leading cause of structural deterioration. One type of commercially available nonmetallic tendons is made of pultruded aramid fibres. One of the main problems for these tendons, which is common to all nonmetallic tendons, is that the high ratio of the axial to lateral strength of fibre-reinforced materials requires special attention to the type of anchorage used. For the aramid tendon, the simplest grouted anchorage consists of a steel tube filled with nonshrink grout, into which the end of the tendon is embedded. This note presents the test results of a parametric study on grouted anchorages for pultruded aramid tendons. Key words: prestressed concrete, nonmetallic tendons, aramid fibre, grouted anchorage.

The durability of reinforced concrete structures has become an increasing concern as our infrastructure ages. In particular is the deterioration of steel reinforcements when used in concrete structures exposed to severe corrosive environments. This paper investigates the feasibility of using noncorroding aramid fibre reinforced plastic (AFRP) tendons as a substitute for steel strand in pretensioned concrete applications. Three AFRP pretensioned beams, 150 × 300 × 2100 mm, were tested under static and cyclic loading. These results indicate that load capacities of the beams were not affected by the cyclic loading. Ultimate strengths were generally greater than predicted, primarily as a result of the ability of the AFRP rods to develop greater tensile stresses than expected. Key words: prestressed concrete, nonmetallic tendons, aramid fibres, advanced composite materials.