Abstract:

Serviceability of concrete members reinforced with FRP often governs the design. There are two main serviceability criteria to be satisfied: crack width and deflection. Prior to cracking the behaviour of concrete members reinforced with FRP is identical tot ehat of seel reinforced concrete. After cracking, due to the mechanical characteristics of FRP, the curvature increases rapidly. Therefore deflection of FRP reinforced members is typically larger, thus more critical than deflection of comparable members reinforced with steel. Crack width is often portrayed as less significant due to the excellent corrosion resistance of FRP products. However, high sustained strain in FRP at service loads may lead to stress corrosion primarily in glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), and the width of cracks needs to be limited for aesthetic reasons. This paper deals with the design of concrete reinforced with FRP to satisfy serviceability requirements. To achieve the goal, a simplified mathematical design using charts is developed for ISIS Canada (1) by the authors. The principles involved in developing these charts, and their applicability are discussed. To satisfy the crack width and deflection limitations of these members, allowable stress limits in FRP reinforcement are introduced.

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