Cracking of concrete members reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer bars

Cracks cannot be completely eliminated in concrete structures but their width needs to be controlled for structural, functional and aesthetic reasons. Structures reinforced with steel are more vulnerable to deterioration because of corrosion, The corrosion-resistant property of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) has led to increase in their use in recent years. However, there are concerns due to wider cracks with FRP-reinforced structures.; The objective of this research is to investigate the cracking behaviour of FRP-reinforced concrete members under imposed-displacement conditions and compare the width of cracks with those in steel-reinforced concrete members and to determine the necessary amount of FRP reinforcement for control of these cracks. A total of six concrete specimens reinforced with glass FRP bars, are tested in axial tension. Specimens are loaded until a stabilized cracking pattern is reached. Results of the experiments show that the width of the widest crack when steel and glass FRP are used does not differ by much, However, smaller number and slightly wider cracks are observed in the glass FRP-reinforced specimens.