Bond and Slip of FRP Rebars in Concrete

Abstract

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) rebars can be used advantageously in concrete exposed to marine or corrosive environments. FRP rebars are resistant to corrosion and have a high strength‐to‐weight ratio. However, to fully utilize FRP rebars as reinforcement for concrete, some aspects of their behavior have to be determined including: bond and anchorage in concrete, long‐term strength, and durability in alkaline environments. In this paper the bond strength of FRP rebars in concrete is discussed. Results of pullout tests on FRP and steel rebars in concrete are presented. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the anchorage design for steel rebars is not directly applicable on FRP rebars. For the same test conditions, the average nominal bond stress at failure was greater for the steel rebars than for the FRP rebars. The slip of the rebars relative to the concrete surface was greater for the FRP rebars than for the steel rebars. The results presented herein indicate the need for special consideration for bond and anchorage design of FRP rebars.