Investigations on the Behavior of GFRP-RC Beams under Overloading Impact Conditions

The first research study on the behavior of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer bar reinforced concrete (GFRP-RC) beams under low-velocity impact loads was conducted at the University of Wollongong. However, the study was limited to laboratory testing of small-scale GFRP-RC beams. It investigated only the influence of the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the compressive strength of concrete on the behavior of GFRP-RC beams under low-velocity impact loads. The influence of the shear capacity of the GFRP-RC beams under low-velocity impact loads was not investigated. Also, the shear reinforcement was fabricated from steel bars instead of GFRP bars. Moreover, the input impact energies applied to the GFRP-RC beams did not exceed the quasi-static energy absorption capacities of the beams. This study investigates the behavior of GFRP-RC beams under overloading impact conditions.