Flexural design of GFRP bar reinforced concrete beams: An appraisal of code recommendations

In this paper, two design codes for the flexural design of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bar reinforced concrete beams have been reviewed and compared with the results of the experimental investigations of eight GFRP (Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer) bar reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) beams. It has been demonstrated that experimentally determined load carrying capacities, maximum deflections and energy absorbing capacities have been over-predicted by the relevant code recommendations for the under-reinforced and balanced GFRP-RC beams while being under-predicted for the over-reinforced GFRP-RC beams. This paper will provide a better understanding on the design methods in the two codes to the designers and rational suggestions for further improvements to the code design recommendations.