Flexural performance of FRP-prestressed RPC beams reinforced with steel-FRP composite bars
Wenjie Ge, Feng Zhang, Ashraf Ashour, Shihu Fu, Linfeng Qiu, Dafu Cao, Zhiwen Zhang,
Wenjie Ge,
Feng Zhang,
Ashraf Ashour,
Shihu Fu,
Linfeng Qiu,
Dafu Cao,
Zhiwen Zhang,
Publication Date
2025-03
End of Embargo
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Rights
(c) 2025 Elsevier. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
embargoedAccess
Accepted for publication
2025-02-11
Institution
Department
Awarded
Embargo end date
2026-02-17
Abstract
Six reactive powder concrete (RPC) beams, reinforced with non-prestressed steel-FRP composite bars (SFCBs) and prestressed Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars, were fabricated to investigate their flexural performance. Four-point bending tests were conducted on beams with different types of concrete, prestressing bars and prestress levels. The test results demonstrated that prestressing significantly enhances the flexural performance of the beams tested. Compared with non-prestressed RPC beams, FRP-prestressed RPC beams exhibited a 24%, 20%, and 17% improvement in cracking, yield, and ultimate loads, respectively, along with an 81% increase in energy absorption capacity and reduced crack widths, but an 8% reduction in ductility. FRP-prestressed RPC beams significantly outperformed their ordinary concrete counterparts, with cracking, yield, and ultimate moments improved by 104%, 77%, and 58%, respectively. Increasing the pre-tension stress of FRP bars enhanced the cracking moment and reduced deflection. However, higher prestress level leads to lower bearing capacity and energy absorption due to premature rupture of prestressed reinforcements before crushing of compression concrete. The type of prestressing reinforcement, whether FRP or steel, has little effect on the cracking moment but significantly affected ductility and energy absorption. Based on simplified material constitutive models and rational fundamental assumptions, two bending failure modes were identified for FRP prestressed RPC beams. Discriminant criteria for these modes of failure were established, along with simplified formulas for predicting the bearing capacity of the beams. These findings provide a technical reference for the design and application of FRP-prestressed RPC beams reinforced with SFCBs.
Version
Accepted manuscript
Citation
Ge W, Zhang F, Ashour A et al (2025) Flexural performance of FRP-prestressed RPC beams reinforced with steel-FRP composite bars. Structures. 73: 108437.
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Article
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Notes
The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 2 Feb 2026.