Analysis of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Grid Reinforced Concrete Beams

Abstract

This study focuses on the use of explicit finite element analysis tools to predict the behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite grid reinforced concrete beams subjected to four-point bending. Predictions were obtained using LS-DYNA, an explicit finite element program widely used for the nonlinear transient analysis of structures. The composite grid was modeled in a discrete manner using beam and shell elements, connected to a concrete solid mesh. The load-deflection characteristics obtained from the simulations show good correlation with the experimental data. Also, a detailed finite element substructure model was developed to further analyze the stress state of the main longitudinal reinforcement at ultimate conditions. Based on this analysis, a procedure was proposed for the analysis of composite grid reinforced concrete beams that accounts for different failure modes. A comparison of the proposed approach with the experimental data indicated that the procedure provides a good lower bound for conservative predictions of load-carrying capacity.