Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been widely used as novel concrete reinforcement due to its high tensile strength, good fatigue performance, and inherent corrosion resistance. However, the large deflection and crack width, as well as the low shear capacity and…
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been widely used as novel concrete reinforcement due to its high tensile strength, good fatigue performance, and inherent corrosion resistance. However, the large deflection and crack width, as well as the low shear capacity and ductility of FRP reinforced concrete members always limit its application. Engineered cementitious composite (ECC) is a class of high performance cementitious composites with pseudo-strain- hardening behaviour and excellent crack control. Substitution of concrete with ECC can avoid the cracking and durability problems associated with brittleness of concrete. In this research, experimental work as well as nonlinear finite element analysis is conducted to study the shear behaviours of FRP reinforced ECC and concrete/ECC composite beams based on the software of ATENA. An appropriate constitutive model were applied in this simulation and the validity of the model was verified with the experimental results. According to the simulation result, substituting concrete with ECC partially in the tension zone of beam can effectively restrict the development of inclined cracks in concrete layer, and hence exhibits significant improvement in terms of shear carrying capacity, stiffness and deformation ability. To achieve a satisfactory cost efficient solution, an ECC layer in tension zone with thickness of 30% height of the beam is recommended for the design of FRP reinforced ECC/concrete composite beam.