Flexural Behavior of Steel and FRP-Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete Beams : Numerical Modeling and Analytical Study

Abstract

Geopolymer concrete has developed as an environmentally sustainable construction material the gained importance due to its cement-free production process. This paper presents numerical modeling through nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) of reinforced geopolymer concrete beams as well as an analytical study. The numerical modeling and nonlinear analysis are performed using commercial software ANSYS, made for previously tested geopolymer concrete (GC) beams with main reinforcement bars of steel and glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP), and contains two types of dispersed fibers: steel and polypropylene fibers. The numerical results are presented and compared with the published experimental findings. A reasonable correlation between numerical and experimental results is observed, thus validating the efficiency of the modeling methodology for analyzing and designing geopolymer concrete c elements .