Ductility Behavior Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened With Externally Bonded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Laminates

The study presents the results of an experimental investigation conducted on Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) beams with externally bonded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) laminates with a view to study their strength and ductility. A total of ten beams, 150×250 mm in cross-section were tested in the laboratory over an effective span of 2800 mm. Three fiber reinforced concrete beams were used as reference beams. Six fiber reinforced concrete beams were provided with externally bonded GFRP laminates. One concrete beam was left virgin without any fiber reinforcement and external GFRP laminates. All the beams were tested until failure. The variables considered included volume fraction of fiber reinforcement and stiffness of GFRP laminates. The static responses of all the beams were evaluated in terms of strength, stiffness and ductility. The test results show that the beams provided with externally bonded GFRP laminates exhibit improved performance over the beams with internal fiber reinforcement.