Strength Degradation of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars Subjected to Reversed Cyclic Load.

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) due to its corrosion resistance is gaining popularity in the civil engineering community, as an alternative material to steel reinforcement. GFRP reinforced bar (rebar) has a high tensile strength with moderate elastic modulus and is elastic up to failure. However, it should not be treated in the same way as steel rebar because the interfacial bond behavior of GFRP bars to concrete is expected to vary from that of conventional steel bars, since various parameters that influence bond performance are different. This paper presents the results of an experimental and analytical studies on the bond strength of glass fiber reinforced polymer bars subjected to monotonic or reversed cyclic loads. The experimental program consisted of 30 test specimens. The test results indicated that the interfacial strength of the GFRP bars was quite different to that of the steel bars. In addition, the strength degradation of GFRP bars subjected to reversed cyclic load was more severe than that of the GFRP bars subjected to a monotonic load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]