Glass FRP-Bonded RC Beams under Cyclic Loading

Ten beams bonded with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates were tested under cyclic loading with the load range and the FRP reinforcement ratio as test parameters. The maximum load level during cyclic loading was 55%, 65% and 75% of the static flexural strength while the minimum load level was kept constant at 35%. Deflections of the beams at the end of 525000 cycles were found to increase by 16% and 44% when the maximum load level was increased from 55% to 65% and 75% of the static flexural strength, respectively. Beams with FRP reinforcement ratios of 0.64% and 1.28% were found to exhibit lesser deflections of about 15% and 20%, respectively, compared to a similar beam without FRP reinforcement. An analytical approach based on cycle-dependent effective moduli of elasticity of concrete and FRP reinforcement is presented and found to predict the deflections of the test beams well.