University of Manitoba

Department of Civil and Geological Engineering

Course 23.735



Design Methods for FRP-Strengthened Concrete
Using Sheets or Near-Surface Mounted Bars













Prepared by: Kevin Amy (6730274)


Prepared for: Dr. Svecova


March 28, 2002







ABSTRACT

The design of concrete member reinforced with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) has many
different design considerations than a steel reinforced concrete member.

In flexure a steel reinforced member is designed to ensure steel yielding before concrete
crushing due to the ductility of steel. FRP is a brittle material with a linear stress-strain
curve until failure. Thus, when using FRP as reinforcement a conscious decision must be
made as to the type of failure mode since either FRP rupture of concrete crushing are
brittle and sudden.

FRP stirrups have inherently low strength despite the very high strength of the FRP
material. During the manufacturing residual stresses are created in the bends. As a
result, the strength at the stirrups may be reduced to 30% percent of the ultimate tensile
strength of the FRP material. Design limitations for the radius of the bend, the end length
and so on have been recommended which should ensure a stirrups design strength of 50%
of the tensile strength.

The crack width and deformability of a concrete member reinforced with FRP behaves
similar to that of a steel reinforced member but the design constraints are quite different.
FRP has a relatively low modulus of elasticity compared to steel allowing for larger
deflections. The larger deflections also allow for larger crack widths. Since FRP
materials are not susceptible to environmental degradation larger crack widths are
perfectly acceptable to the point of aesthetic limitations.










LIST OF SYMBOLS


A
b
area of the bar
A
frp
area of FRP reinforcement
A
frpv
area of FRP shear reinforcement
A
s
area of tensile steel reinforcement
A
s
area of compression steel reinforcement
a
1
,a
2
shear spans
b width of member
b
frp
width of FRP sheet
b
w
web width
C compressive force in the concrete
C
t,steel
dimensionless variable defined by equation 71
C
s
compression force in the steel compression reinforcement
C
u
ultimate concrete creep coefficient
c depth to the neutral axis of a flexural member from the extreme compressive fibre
c
b
distance to from the extreme compressive fibres to the neutral during the balanced
reinforcement condition
D deflection
d depth from the extreme compressive fibre to the tensile reinforcement
d depth from the extreme compressive fibre to the compression reinforcement
d
e
effective diameter
d
frp
FRP sheet height along the side of the beam web
E
a
elastic tensile modulus of the adhesive or epoxy
E
c
modulus of elasticity of concrete
E
frp
modulus of elasticity of the FRP reinforcement
E
frpl
longitudinal elastic modulus of FRP
E
frpv
elastic modulus of FRP shear reinforcement
E
s
elastic modulus of steel
f
bend
strength of the bend portion of the FRP stirrup
f
c
stress in the concrete
f
c
specified ultimate compressive stress in the concrete
f
ct
tensile strength of concrete
f
frp
stress in the FRP reinforcement
f
frpu
ultimate stress in the FRP reinforcement
f
r
rupture stress in concrete
f
s
stress in the compression steel reinforcement
f
y
yield stress of steel
f
frpe
effective strength of FRP
f
frpu
ultimate strength of the FRP reinforcement
f
frpuv
ultimate capacity of FRP in shear
h height of the member
h
flange
height of the flange
h
s
minimum thickness as per CSA A23.3-94
I
e
effective moment of inertia
I
g
gross moment of inertia
I
1
moment of inertia of a non-cracked member
I
2
moment of inertia of a cracked member
l length of the member
K
sh
dimensionless multiplier which depends on the type of supports
M moment
M
r
moment resistance
M
u
ultimate moment
M
cr
cracking moment
Q
cr
correction factor for nonstandard conditions
r
b
bend radius of FRP reinforcement
s spacing of shear reinforcement
s
frp
FRP sheet bands spacing
T tensile force
t
a
thickness of the adhesive or epoxy
t
bfrp
thickness of a FRP sheet at the balanced condition
t
frp
thickness of FRP sheet
V
c
concrete shear
V
cf
factored shear resistance of concrete
V
cfrp
factored shear resistance of FRP
V
frp
FRP shear
V
rf
factored shear resistance
V
ser
shear under service conditions
w
eff
effective FRP width
y
CT
moment arm for a flexural member reinforced with a single layer of reinforcement
y
max
the distance from the extreme tension fibre to the neutral axis
y
t
distance from the centroid of the transformed section the extreme tension fibre

stress block factor for concrete

b
bond dependent variable taken as 0.5 until further data is collected

d
dimensionless coefficient defined by equations 68 and 68
stress block factor for concrete

1
,
1
dimensionless factors defined by equations 19 and 20

c
strain in the concrete

cu
ultimate strain in the concrete

eff
effective FRP strain in the principal direction of the fibres

frp
strain the FRP reinforcement

frpu
ultimate strain in the FRP reinforcement

o
concrete strain at peak concrete stress

s
strain in steel

y
yield strain of steel

c
concrete material resistance factor

frp
FRP material resistance factor

s
steel material resistance factor

cp
creep due to sustained load

i
immediate deflection due to sustained loading

sh
shrinkage deflection

t
total deflection
dimensionless coefficient defined by equation 63

frp
reinforcement ratio of the FRP reinforcement

frpb
balanced reinforcement ratio

frp min
minimum reinforcement ratio

frpv
FRP shear reinforcement ratio

frpvmin
minimum shear reinforcement ratio

s
reinforcement ratio of the tensile steel reinforcement

s
reinforcement ratio of the compression steel reinforcement

1, max
stress at the extreme tensile fibre (ignoring cracking)

peeling
stress causing the a layer of concrete bonded to the FRP plate to fail

ult
ultimate debonding shear stress

m, end1
mean curvature at the end of the beam

m, end2
mean curvature at the other end of the beam

m, centre
mean curvature at the mid-point of the beam

m
mean curvature

sh
curvature due to shrinkage

u
curvature when moment is M
u

dimensionless coefficient defined by equation 49
























LIST OF FIGURES


Figure 1 Stress strain curve for concrete...3

Figure 2 - Stress-strain distribution in flexure: a) failure by rupture of FRP; b) failure by
crushing of concrete.4

Figure 3 Stress-strain relationship in a strengthened beam with tension and compression
steel reinforcement...8

Figure 4 Different failure modes of a reinforced concrete beam a) debonding of FRP
plate b) peeling off of concrete layer.10

Figure 5 Cross section and strain distribution at a cracked section reinforced with steel
and FRP bars..18






















INTRODUCTION

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) has been used as reinforcement for concrete structures
for a number of years now. As the use of FRP in structural design becomes more
accepted, the current design codes and practices will have to be adjusted to reflect the use
of FRP materials.

The design procedure and critical design criteria must change to reflect the material
properties of FRP. FRP materials generally have a lower modulus of elasticity and a
higher tensile strength, than steel. FRP is also very resistant to aggressive environments
and could increase the durability of concrete structures.

Design considerations when using FRP materials are the increased deflections (when
used as flexural reinforcement), large tensile strength, linear stress-strain curve with no
yielding, and the ability to orient the fibres in any direction to optimize the structural
response of the material.

Unlike when using steel as flexural reinforcement, a flexural member reinforced with
FRP cannot be designed to ensure a progressive ductile type of failure. As stated
previously, FRP has a linear stress strain relationship with no yielding, thus, the designer
must make a decision as to the type of failure mechanism desired, FRP rupture or
concrete crushing. The development of the equilibrium equations must also change to
reflect the actual strain level in the concrete. Ultimate strain in the concrete is assumed
when designing a flexural member with steel reinforcement. Since the concrete does not
have to fail (FRP rupture), the strain level in the concrete could be lower than ultimate.
The varying strain in the concrete changes the stress block parameters for concrete thus
changing the equations of equilibrium for the system.

FRP stirrups also have different design considerations than steel stirrups. The bend in
FRP stirrups could be a weak point causing premature failure. The weakness of the bend
in the FRP stirrups is a result of the manufacturing process and must be considered when
designing the shear reinforcement.

The deflection of a concrete member reinforced with FRP is a major design
consideration. Deflections will be larger than a conventional steel reinforced member,
causing larger crack widths. The size of the crack width is not as critical when using FRP
instead of steel reinforcement since FRP is not affected by environmental attacks as steel
is.


1.0 ULTIMATE STRENGTH DESIGN IN BENDING

Failure of a flexural member may occur by rupture of the tension reinforcement or
crushing of the concrete.

1.1 Tensile Failure
A member which fails due to the rupture of the tension reinforcement is said to be under-
reinforced. Since the FRP bars fail and not the concrete as in a traditional steel
reinforced member, the compressive stress in the concrete cannot be idealized by a
rectangular stress block in the same fashion as when steel reinforcement is used. The
strain in the concrete does reach ultimate and therefore the factors
1
and
1
cannot be
used. A concrete stress-strain curve must be chosen and used to calculate the stress block
parameters.

The following analysis uses the concrete stress distribution proposed by Todeschini et al.
(1964) and MacGregor (1997) to determine the parameters and . The equation of the
curve, seen in Figure 1, is given as follows,

Figure 1 Stress strain curve for concrete (Ghali et al., 2002)

2
0
0 '
1
8 . 1
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=

c
c
c c
f f ...1
where,
c
c
E
f
'
0
71 . 1 = ..2
E
c
for this theory is taken as,
'
4750
c c
f E = MPa.3
The parameters and are determined by equating the area under the concrete stress
curve with that of the rectangular stress block, as well, the centroid of each area must be
the same. By completing these two tasks the parameters and may be determined.

As for steel reinforced members, the assumption, plane sections remain plane is made.
This assumption leads to the following relationship through similar triangles from Figure
2a.
fu c
c
d
c


+
= 4


Figure 2 - Stress-strain distribution in flexure: a) failure by rupture of FRP; b) failure by
crushing of concrete (Ghali et al., 2002)

For equilibrium the compressive force in the concrete must equal the tensile force in the
FRP bars. This leads to the following relationship (Ghali et al., 2002),

= da f f A
c frpu frp
.5
where da is an elemental area of the compressive zone.
Using equations 1 through 5 and numerical integration,
c
at the extreme compressive
fibre, the stress distribution, and the location of the resultant compressive force may be
obtained.
The ultimate moment and curvature for a tensile failure is given by the following,
CT frpu frp u
y f A M = 6
where y
CT
is the location of the resultant compressive force relative to the resultant
tensile force.
d
frpu c
u

+
= ...7

ISIS Canada (2001) proposed the use of a different concrete stress distribution. The
distribution used was developed by Collins and Mitchell (1997). This distribution is used
to determine the parameters and as before. The concrete distribution takes the form,
nk
c
c
c
c
n
n
f
f
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
0
0
'
1

.8
where,
17
8 . 0
'
c
f
n + = .9
1
'
0

=
n
n
E
f
c
c
..10
0 . 1
62
67 . 0
'
> + =
c
f
k ...11
The modulus of elasticity of the concrete, for normal density concrete having a
compressive strength between 20 and 40 MPa for this stress distribution, was taken as
'
4500
c c
f E = ...12
or
'
5000
c c
f E = ...13
as per CSA A23.3-94 (1994) and CSA S6-88 (1993) respectively.
The proposed process of determining the resistance of a flexural member is as follows:
The compressive force in the concrete is given by,
cb f C
c c

'
= 14
and the tensile force in the reinforcement is given by,
frp frp frp frp
E A T = .15
For equilibrium, the compressive force in the concrete and the tensile force in the
reinforcement must be equal. By equating equations 14 and 15, c, the distance of the
neutral axis from the extreme compression fibre, can be determined. Once c is
determined the moment resistance of the member can be found by,
|
.
|

\
|
=
2
c
d T M
r

...16
The ultimate curvature is found by using equation 7.

1.2 Compression Failure
When failure is due to crushing of the concrete the flexural member is said to be over-
reinforced. The rectangular representation of the compressive stress block, found in the
CSA Standard A23.3-94 (1994) can be used since the ultimate strain in the concrete will
be reached. The analysis process is very similar to that of a tensile failure except Figure
2b must be used. The moment is obtained by (Ghali et al., 2002),
CT frp frp u
y f A M = ...17
where y
CT
is given by
2
1
c
d

.
The location of the neutral axis, c, is found by equating the compressive and tensile
forces as before. The parameters
1
and
1
are to be used since the strain in the concrete
has reached the ultimate strain.

The stress in the reinforcement at failure, which is smaller than f
frpu
, is given by the
following equation (Ghali et al., 2002),
(
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ = 1 4 1 5 . 0
2
1
'
1
1
cu frp frp
c
cu frp frp
E
f
E f


....18
When
cu
=0.0035,
1
and
1
are given by empirical formulas, in accordance with CSA
A23.3-94 (1994).
67 . 0 0015 . 0 85 . 0
'
1
=
c
f .19
67 . 0 0025 . 0 97 . 0
'
1
=
c
f ..20
The curvature, at ultimate, when the failure mode is crushing of the concrete is given by
(ISIS Canada, 2001),
d
E
f
frp
frp
c
u
+
=

..21

1.3 Balanced Condition
The reinforcement ratio which allows for the failure of the concrete and tensile
reinforcement at the same time creates a situation known as the balanced condition. The
reinforcement ratio at the balanced condition is given by (Ghali et al., 2002, ISIS Canada,
2001),
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
frpu
c b
frpb
f
f
d
c
'
1 1
...22
where,
frpu cu frp
cu frp
b
f E
E
d
c
+
=

...23

1.4 Minimum Reinforcement Ratio
To ensure a sudden failure does not occur after cracking of the section the ultimate
moment, from equation 6, must be greater than the cracking moment by an accepted
safety factor. The cracking moment is given by (Ghali et al., 2002),
t
r cr
y
I
f M = 24
this leads to the following relationship,
( ) factor safety
bd y y
I
f
f
bd
A
t CT frpu
r
frp
|
.
|

\
|
> =
1
.....25
For a rectangular cross-section, and
'
6 . 0
c r
f f = , d=0.9 (height of section), d y
CT
9 . 0 ,
and a safety factor of 3 are substituted into equation 16, the same minimum
reinforcement ratio given by the American Concrete Committee 440 (ACI, 2001)
guidelines would be obtained. The American Concrete Committee 440 (ACI, 2001)
suggests the minimum reinforcement ratio be determined from,
frpu
c
frp
f
f
12
5
'
min
= ....26
ISIS Canada (2001) proposed the same equation, as equation 26, for the minimum
amount of reinforcement and suggest the moment resistance must be at least 50% larger
than the cracking moment, if it is not, the moment resistance must be at least 50% larger
than the applied factored moment.


1.5 Multiple Layers of Reinforcement
In the case where there is more than on layer of FRP reinforcement, each layer must be
considered separately. The centroid of the reinforcement may not be used as with steel
but rather the tensile force equations already seen must be slightly modified. The
modifications for equation 16 are as follows,

=
=
n
i
frpi frpi frp frpi
E A T
1
..27
where, i is a FRP reinforcement layer
n is the number of layers
The moment is found in the same manner as done previously except, the moment arm of
each layer must be determined, multiplied by that layers tensile force and the sum of all
the moments for all the layers is to be completed to determine the moment resistance of
the member.

1.6 Externally Bonded Flexural Reinforcement
Chaallel et al. (1998) present a procedure to strengthen a doubly steel reinforced concrete
beam. As seen in Figure 3, strain compatibility is used to determine the strain in the
steel, concrete and FRP plate.

Figure 3 Stress-strain relationship in a strengthened beam with tension and compression
steel reinforcement (Chaallal et al, 1998)

When using the strain compatibility formulas the thickness of the FRP plate is neglected.
The bottom steel reinforcement should yield before the FRP plate ruptures or the concrete
crushes. From internal equilibrium, the following equations were developed,
| | | | 0 '
' ' 2
1
'
1
= + + +
cu frp frp frp cu s s s cu frp frp frp s y s cu s s s c c
h E A d E A c E A A f E A bc f
for
y s y s
<
'
...28
( ) | | 0
' 2
1
'
1
= + +
cu frp frp frp cu frp frp frp s s y s c c
h E A c E A A A f bc f
for
s s y s

'
.29
The strain in the steel,
s
, should be checked to ensure it is larger than the steel yield
strain,
y
. If the strain in the steel is not larger than the yield strain the area of FRP used
is too large and should be reduced.
The moment resistance is given by,
( ) ( ) ( ) c h T c d T
c
c C d c C M
frp s s r
+ + |
.
|

\
|
+ =
2
'
1

..30
It follows, the balanced reinforcement ratio for the FRP can be found by,
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
+
+
=
c d
c h
E
f
E
f f
f
f
s
y
frp frp
s y s s s s
y
c c
bfrp

' '
'
1 1
700
700
..31
hence the balanced thickness of the FRP plate is,
frp
bfrp
bfrp
b
bd
t

= .....32
Once the above process is completed the premature failure modes for this type of
reinforcement must also be checked to ensure they do not govern.
The first premature failure mode is debonding at the interface between the concrete and
the FRP and is depicted in Figure 4a. The ultimate debonding stress is given by,
x k
ult
tan 1
4 . 5
1
+
= 33
where
25 . 0
3
1
3
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
a frp frp
a
frp
t t E
E
t k 34
The second premature failure is ripping of the concrete as seen in Figure 4b. The stress
to cause this form of failure is as follows,
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
frp c
t ct
peeling
b
b
d
L f
6
...35
where the tensile strength of the concrete is given by Hatzinikolas et al. (1979),
' '
53 . 0
c t
f f = .36


Figure 4 Different failure modes of a reinforced concrete beam a) debonding of FRP
plate b) peeling off of concrete layer (Chaallal et al., 1998)

2.0 SHEAR DESIGN

2.1 FRP Stirrups
Stirrups used as shear reinforcement are normally the first to encounter environmental
effects as a result of the minimum concrete cover over them. Thus, the use of FRP
stirrups, and their ability to resist severe environments, could increase the durability of a
structure.

The use of FRP stirrups has some added design considerations, such as, their strength
may be as low as 35% of the strength parallel to the fibres (Morphy et al., 2000).

This strength reduction may be attributed to the residual stress concentrations found in
the bend zone from the manufacturing process. The Japanese Society of Civil Engineers
(JSCE, 1997) recommends the use of the following equation to evaluate the capacity of
bent FRP bars.
30 . 0 05 . 0 + =
e
b
frpu
bend
d
r
f
f
37
where, d
e
is the effective bar diameter and is given by,

b
e
A
d
4
= .38
Equation 37 gives a conservative estimate of the strength of a bent bar, for most CFRP
and GFRP specimens. Morphy et al. (2000) found this equation overestimated the
strength of the CFRP Leadline stirrups, thus the use of minimum bend radius of not less
than four times the effective bar diameter or 50 mm was recommended. This would
allow a FRP stirrup capacity of 50% of the strength parallel to the fibres to be obtained
(Shehata, 1999). As well, Morphy et al. (2000) recommended the use of a
e
d 6 or 70 mm
tail length, whichever is greater.

Morphy et al. (2000) proposed the following changes to the current CSA 23.3-94 (CSA,
1994) shear design equations.

The factored shear resistance is given by,
sf cf rf
V V V + = .39
where,
s
frpl
w c c cf
E
E
d b f V
'
2 . 0 = ..40
s
frpl
w c c
fv
frpuv frp sf
E
E
d b f
s
d A
f V
'
8 . 0 4 . 0 = .41
It has been observed that the direct application of the current CSA design codes results in
an unsafe prediction of the shear strength of concrete beams reinforced with FRP stirrups
(Morphy et al., 2000).

Minimum shear reinforcement is required to ensure sudden shear failure, just after the
formation of the first diagonal crack, does not occur as well as to control the diagonal
cracking at service loads. A minimum amount of shear reinforcement is provided when
FRP flexural reinforcement is used. This minimum reinforcement is to ensure the shear
capacity is higher than the cracking load. As well, minimum shear reinforcement is
required when the factored shear force is greater than the concrete contribution by 50%.
The minimum amount of shear reinforcement is obtained by,
s frpl
frpuv
c
frpuv
w
s
frpl
c
frpv
E E for
f
f
f
d b
E
E
V
<
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
4 . 0
06 . 0
4 . 0
1
'
min
..42
or
s frpl
frpuv
c
frpv
E E for
f
f
=
4 . 0
06 . 0
'
min
..43
where V
c
is the factored shear resistance of the concrete according to CSA 23.3-94 (CSA,
1994).


2.2 Externally Bonded FRP Sheets
Further modifications to the current design code must be made when using externally
bonded FRP sheets for shear reinforcement. The term V
frp
must be added to the factored
shear resistance equation. Cheng and Deniaud (2001) proposed the following equation
for the shear resistance contribution of externally bonded FRP sheets.
( )
c
c frp
frp
frpe frp frp frp
s
d
f t b V

tan cos sin

tan
sin
+ = ....44
where, is the angle of the principal direction of the fibers to the longitudinal axis

c
is the angle of the concrete crack to the longitudinal axis
The effective stress in the FRP, f
frpe
, has many different formulations, some of which are
given below.

Chaallal et al. (1998) developed the following formulation for FRP sheets in the form of
U-jackets.
frpu
frp
frp
ult frpe
f
A
d b
f = ......45
where,

ult
is given by equation 33.

Khalifa et al. (1998) developed the following expression,
frpu frpe
Rf f = ...46
where R is the lowest of,
R=0.5
or
( ) ( )
frp frp frp frp
E E R 5622 . 0 2188 . 1 778 . 0 + = .47
where,
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
frp
frp
w
frp
frp
s
b
b
t 2
...48
or
( )
( )
frp frpu frp frp
eff c
d t E
w f
R

58 . 0
3
2
'
0042 . 0
= .49
where,
( ) ( )
frp frp
E t
frp eff
e d w
ln 58 . 0 134 . 6
= .50
frp
frpu
frpu
E
f
= 51

CSA-S806 (CSA, 2000) has prepared a design standard for construction with FRP
materials. The shear design criteria uses CSA-A23.3 (CSA, 1994) simplified approach
with =45 degrees and =0.2. The effective stress in the FRP is given by,
eff frp frpe
E f = .52
where,
004 . 0 =
eff



3.0 SERVICEABILITY

3.1 Crack Width
The factors affecting the crack width are the crack spacing and bond between the
reinforcing bar and concrete. As a result of having a lower modulus of elasticity, flexural
concrete members reinforced with FRP bars allow for larger crack widths.

CSA A23.3-94 (1994) limits the crack width to 0.40 and 0.33 mm for interior and
exterior exposure respectively when using steel reinforcement. Currently, the steel
reinforcement is allowed to be stressed to 0.6f
y
, under service loads, in an attempt to limit
cracking. To take advantage of the high strengths, and good resistance to environmental
effects, FRP reinforcement bars could be stressed to a higher level, thus creating larger
crack widths than when using steel reinforcement. The JSCE (1997) recommends a
maximum crack with of 0.50 mm, when using FRP reinforcement, for all exposures. The
Canadian Highway and Bridge Design Code (CHBDC) (CSA, 2000) recommends crack
widths of 0.71 and 0.50 mm for interior and exterior exposure. ACI 440 (ACI 2001)
adopted similar limits as the CHBDC.

At the service load condition, Morphy et al. (2000) recommend limiting the strain in the
stirrups to 0.002, instead of 0.0012 as used for steel reinforcing. Increasing the allowable
strain creates larger crack widths and is similar to the crack width limits already
mentioned.

For shear reinforcement and shear cracking the strain in the FRP stirrups, based on the 45
degree truss model, can be found as follows,
( )
d E A
V V s
frpv frpv
cf ser
frpv
ser

= ...53

3.2 Deformability
All design codes require the design of a flexural member reinforced with steel to be
under-reinforced. Generally, since FRP reinforcement has a very brittle and sudden
failure, and has only recently been used as structural reinforcement, the design codes
have recommended flexural members, with FRP reinforcement, be designed as over-
reinforced; ensuring the failure mode will be crushing of the concrete (Ghali et al., 2002).
Some new design guidelines have allowed for the design of a tensile failure mode for a
flexural member reinforced with FRP reinforcement. When designing for a tensile
failure, the deflections obtained must be monitored closely to ensure they do not become
excessive.

Bobey et al. (2001) present the following deflection calculation methodology based on
the CEB-FIP Model Code (1990).

The general deflection equation for the calculation of mid-length deflection of a straight
member is given by,
( )
2 , , 1 ,
2
96
end m centre m end m
l
D + + = 54

m
is the mean curvature at the ends and centre of the straight member.
m
is exact when
its geometric relationship varies parabolically which is sufficiently accurate for practical
application (Hall, 2000). For a simple beam the mean curvature at the ends can be
neglected, thus the deflection equation reduces to,
2
,
48
5
l D
centre m
= 55
For the following,
m
, will be taken to mean,
m,centre
, because even when the curvature at
the ends are not negligible, the deflection is mainly dependent upon
m,centre
.
m
is
determined as follows,
( )
2 1
1 + =
m
..56
where,
ct
ct
f
f
>
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
max , 1
2
max , 1
5 . 0 1

57
also where,
max 1
max , 1
y I
M
= ...58
1
1
I E
M
c
= ...59
2
2
I E
M
c
= ..60
Equations 56 60 apply to a reinforced, non-prestressed, section reinforced with steel or
FRP bars, without the application of a normal force.
Equations 56 60 can be rewritten as,
e c
m
I E
M
= ..61
where I
e
is the effective moment of inertia of the section given by ISIS (2001),
( )
2 1
2
2
2 1
5 . 0 1 I I
M
M
I
I I
I
cr
e

(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
= .62
also where,
ct cr
f
y
I
M
max
1
= 63
ACI 318-99 (ACI, 1999) and CSA A23.3-94 (CSA, 1994) adopted equation 54 but used
the I
e
developed by Branson (1977), which is as follows,
2 1 ,
1 I
M
M
I
M
M
I
m
cr
m
cr
Branson e
(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+ |
.
|

\
|
= ..64
with m=3. Equation 57 with m=3 gives a constant effective moment of inertia over the
full length of the cracked member.
Equation 62 was chosen by Bobey et al. (2001) because equation 64, used by the before
mentioned codes, does agree with experimental data (Hall, 2000).

The effective moment of inertia of a GFRP-reinforced beam is given by (Benmokrane et
al., 1996 and Gao et al., 1998),
g cr
cr
g
s
frp
b
cr
e
I I
M
M
I
E
E
M
M
I
(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
(

+ |
.
|

\
|
=
3 3
1 1 ...65
where
b
is a bond dependent variable, but for now is taken as 0.5 until further testing
can be completed to refine its value. This effective moment of inertia could be used in
equation 61 to find the deflection.

Bobey et al. (2001) present a relationship between deflection and the strain in the
reinforcement. The following is based on Figure 5.
Figure 5 Cross section and strain distribution at a cracked section reinforced with steel
and FRP bars (Bobey et al., 2001)

c d
frp

2
.66
The depth of the compression zone, c, is given by,
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
2
2
1 1
4 5 . 0 a a a c .67
where,
( )
w
frp
w
w
flange
b
nA
b b
b
h
a
2 2
1
+ = .68
( )
w
frp
w
w
flange
b
nA
b b
b
h
a
2
2
2
= 69
c
frp
E
E
n = .70
The mean curvature is expressed as follows,
2
=
m
...71
where derived from equations 56 and 57 and is given by,
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
1
2
2
max ,. 1
1 5 . 0 1
I
I f
ct

..72
Equations 55, 65, and 71 give the mid-span deflection of a cracked member as follows,
frp
h
c d
h
l
D

|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
2
48
5
...73
The length to deflection ratio of a FRP reinforced section is given by,
|
|
.
|

\
|
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|
= |
.
|

\
|
frp
s
frp
s
s frp
h
c d
h
c d
h
l
h
l

.74
The length to height ratio for steel can be found in the design codes.

ISIS Canada (2001) present a similar equation for calculation the length to height ratio of
a member reinforced with FRP and is given as,
d
frp
s
s frp
h
l
h
l

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
= |
.
|

\
|
...75
where,
5 . 0 =
d
for rectangular sections.76
or
s w
d
h
b
b
b
80
3 . 0 5 . 0 + = for T-sections.77
where h
s
is the minimum thickness required by CSA A23.3-94 (1994) if steel
reinforcement was used.

Long term deflection calculations of flexural concrete members reinforced with FRP bars
are over estimated when using equations developed for steel (Kage et al., 1995).
However, Arockiasamy et al. (1996) found the steel developed deflection equations were
suitable for use when CFRP was used as the reinforcement type.

ACI Committee 209 (1993) recommends the use of the following equation to calculate
the long term deflection of a steel reinforced beam.
sh cp t
+ = 78
Brown (1997) recommends the following equation be used if FRP reinforcement is used.
i steel t cr cp
C Q
t
t

+
=
,
6 . 0
6 . 0
6 . 0
10
.79
where,
cr u steel t
Q C
t
t
C
6 . 0
6 . 0
,
10 +
= ...80
C
u
can vary from 1.0 4.15, but an average value of 2.35 is suggested if specific data is
not available.
The shrinkage deflection term of equation 78 remains the same and is as follows,
2
l K
sh sh sh
= 81
K
sh
is a multiplier which depends on the type of support. K
sh
is equal to 0.125 for a
simply supported member.

The ACI Committee 209 recommendation overestimates the deflections of both a steel
and GFRP reinforced member. The overestimation is more significant for a GFRP
reinforced member (Ghali and Hall, 2000).

REFERENCES


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nd
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