Title: Flexural Behavior of GFRP-UFC Composite Beams under Moderately High Temperature

Author(s): Isuru Sanjaya Kumara Wijayawardane, and Hiroshi Mutsuyoshi

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 327

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 40.1-40.16

Keywords: composite beam, flexural behavior, glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), glass transition temperature (Tg), moderately high temperature, pedestrian bridge, ultra-high strength fiber reinforced concrete (UFC)

DOI: 10.14359/51713361

Date: 11/1/2018

Abstract:
Fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) are used for short-span bridge construction due to their special features. However, it was found that the resin matrix in the FRP materials become soften at the glass transition temperature (Tg). Some FRP materials have relatively low Tg values and hence, the flexural behavior of FRP composite beams can be affected by moderately high temperatures. In this study, the influence of moderately high temperature on the flexural behavior of glass FRP (GFRP) and ultra-high strength fiber reinforced concrete (UFC) composite beams was investigated. Large-scale beam bending tests were conducted at temperatures between 20°C (68℉) and 90°C (194℉). The experiment results revealed that the flexural capacity and stiffness of the GFRP I-beams are highly influenced by the glass transition temperature of the vinylester resin. The use of UFC segments significantly improves both the flexural capacity and stiffness of the GFRP I-beams within 20°C (68℉) and 90°C (194℉). The fiber model analysis showed that the stiffness of the GFRP-UFC composite beams is not significantly affected by the temperature gradient in the real situations. However, the flexural capacity of the GFRP-UFC composite beams at the slipping of the UFC segments is greatly influenced by the temperature at beam top.