Investigation of Bond Behavior Between Glass Fiber Composite Reinforcements and Concrete

Worldwide there is a need for the renewal of infrastructure because of age, deterioration, misuse, lack of repair, use of improper materials and techniques, and even due to changing needs. The corrosion of steel reinforcing bars is one of the major causes of degradation of concrete structures. Composites are increasingly being considered as a potential replacement for steel rebar, but there exists a critical lack of fundamental data and understanding of their behavior in relationship to traditional civil engineering materials such as concrete. This paper presents a preliminary investigation on the bond and pullout behavior of glass fiber reinforced composite reinforcement in concrete. The pullout behavior of the system was studied using a concentric pullout test and results are compared with theoretical predictions. The study is aimed at the development of a fundamental understanding of bond behavior and materials-configuration interrelationships needed to further the use of composites as reinforcements for application in areas where corrosion and electromagnetic interference make the use of steel reinforcement inefficient.