Undergraduate Research Session (ACI Spring 2023, San Francisco, CA) Concrete structures serve an important role in society's infrastructure, and they often include steel reinforcement bars that may be connected via steel couplers to increase tensile strength. However, corrosion of the reinforcing steel can cause unwanted cracking and spalling of concrete, deteriorating the structural member. Nonmetallic components such as GFRP bars and FRP couplers present a solution to this corrosion issue. These bars and couplers have been manufactured, but there is insufficient testing data on their performance under tension as well as research on how to best connect the bars and coupler. The objective of this research project was to evaluate the performance of GFRP bars connected with FRP couplers during tensile testing (Fig. 1). A control tensile test was conducted with steel reinforcing bars and a steel coupler to establish a baseline for performance. Connecting GFRP bars with epoxy couplers was also investigated to expand the range of results. The test results fill an important knowledge gap related to the performance of GFRP bars connected with corrosion-resistant couplers that may be used as a suitable replacement for steel in reinforced concrete structures.

ACI/JCI – 6th Joint Seminar - Advancing the Design of Concrete Structures - Component Design Advancements (ACI Spring 2023, San Francisco, CA) In Japan Concrete Institute, Technical Committee on “Design Concept for Precast and Prestressed Concrete Structural Components including Connections” was organized with a chair of Dr. Miki, in 2019/2020. This technical committee conducts a literature survey for the domestic and international design codes and discusses the performance-based design for precast and prestressed/non-prestressed concrete structural components including connections. Issues in the application of these precast concrete components are analyzed based on a case study of practical examples including bridges, buildings, football stadiums, and transportation warehouses. The presentation includes the practical investigations and discussion on the future direction of structural application for the precast prestressed concrete components to the buildings and bridges.