Title:
Anchorage Zones Reinforced with Discrete Reinforcing Bars and Continuous Meshes (Prepublished)
Author(s):
Yail J. Kim and Thi Ha
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
anchorage; concentric loading; cracking; end zones; failure; glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP); reinforcing schemes
DOI:
10.14359/51749305
Date:
11/6/2025
Abstract:
This paper presents the behavior of anchorage zones, also known as end zones, with discrete reinforcing bars and continuous meshes. To examine the implications of various reinforcing schemes on the capacity, cracking, and failure of end zones, 50 block specimens are loaded, and their responses are analyzed. Test parameters include the types of reinforcing bar materials (steel and glass fiber-reinforced polymer, (GFRP)) and the configurations of the reinforcing bars and steel meshes (single and multiple placements). In terms of load-carrying capacity, the specimens embedded with the GFRP rebars outperform those with the steel reinforcing bars and meshes by 14.0%. The post-peak load drop of the blocks with the steel and GFRP reinforcing bars is analogous due to distributed axial stresses in the unreinforced concrete region, differing from the abrupt drop observed in the specimens with the steel meshes that intersect the concrete in orthogonal directions. While concrete splitting originates from local tension generated near the axial compression, the location of cracking is dominated by the path of stress trajectories related to the number of reinforcing bars, which is not recognized in the case of the meshed specimens. The pattern of the isostatic lines of compression clarifies the development of bursting forces that cause cracking in the concrete. A two-stage analytical model is formulated to predict the magnitude of bursting forces and determine the effects of several parameters on the response of the end zones. The applicability of existing design expressions is assessed, and the need for follow-up research is delineated.