Advanced materials have been created for structural application during the past decades. Engineers, however, faced severe problems due to the absence of a reliable technique for ensuring the required structural properties minimising the amount of material used. A lack of constitutive models for the analysis of the structural systems also exists. Residual stiffness of flexural concrete elements subjected to short-term load is the focus of this research. Tension-stiffening models were developed to represent the deformation response of the members reinforced with internal bars. This study examines the suitability of the tension-stiffening modelling approach for simulating the deformation behaviour of the composite specimens comprising glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pultruded profile adhesively bonded to the tensile surface of the concrete beam. The study employs a nonlinear finite element approach and analytical model to simulate the deformation behaviour of the flexural elements.

This study focuses on the flexural behavior of pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) profiles developed for structural applications. Fiber content is a commonly accepted measure for estimating the resistance of such components, and technical datasheets describe this essential parameter. However, its direct implementation to the numerical simulations can face substantial problems because of the limitations of standard test protocols. Furthermore, the fiber mass percentage understandable for producers is unsuitable for typical software considered the volumetric reinforcement content. This manuscript exemplifies the above situation both experimentally and analytically, investigating two GFRP square hollow section (SHS) profiles available at the market. A three-point bending test determines the mechanical performance of the profiles in this experimental program; a digital image correlation system captures deformations and failure mechanisms of the SHS specimens; a standard tensile test defines the material properties. A simplified finite element (FE) model is developed based on the smeared reinforcement concept to predict the stiffness and load-bearing capacity of the profiles. An efficient balance between the prediction accuracy and computation time characterizes the developed FE approach that does not require specific descriptions of reinforcement geometry and refined meshes necessary for modeling the discrete fibers. The proposed FE approach is also used to analyze the fiber efficiency in reinforcing the polymer matrix. The efficiency is understood as the model’s ability to resist mechanical load proportional to the dry filaments’ content and experimental elastic modulus value. Scanning electron microscopy relates the composite microstructure and the mechanical performance of the selected profiles in this study.

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In structural rehabilitation and strengthening, the structural members are often required to cope with larger design loading due to the upgrading of building services and design standard, while maintaining the member size to preserve the architectural dimensions and headroom. Moreover, durability enhancement by mitigating or eliminating the reinforcement corrosion problem is often desired. Concrete cracking is a major initiating and accelerating factor of the corrosion of steel reinforcement. The application of fibres is a prominent solution to the cracking problem. Furthermore, the fibres can increase the mechanical resistance of the strengthening systems. This study reveals the synergy effect of the combined application of steel fibres and external carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The investigation encompasses the use of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcing bars, discrete steel fibres, externally bonded and mechanically fastened FRP sheets in different combinations. It is discovered that the steel fibres can help to control concrete cracking and eventually alter the failure mode and enhance the flexural resistance. The FRP reinforcement system, together with the steel fibres, radically resolves the structural safety problem caused by corrosion of the steel bar reinforcement. Finally, the impact of the external sheet on the fire limit state performance needs to be resolved, such as by adopting fire protection rendering for the finishes layer.

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