Arab J Sci Eng (2014) 39:8573–8584

DOI 10.1007/s13369-014-1476-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE - CIVIL ENGINEERING

Finite Element Modeling of RC Beams Strengthened in Flexure

Using FRP Material
Affifa Akram · Rashid Hameed ·
Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi · M. Rizwan Riaz ·
Muhammad Ilyas

Received: 15 February 2014 / Accepted: 30 October 2014 / Published online: 12 November 2014
© King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 2014

Abstract Finite element modeling has been performed us-

ing finite element code CASTEM to predict the flexural re-
sponse of rectangular RC beams strengthened with externally
bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials by various
techniques. Damage model for plain concrete, elastic per-
fectly plastic behavior for steel bars, elastic–plastic isotropic
behavior for steel–concrete interface, linear elastic behavior
for FRP materials and perfect bond for FRP-concrete inter-
face were adopted for finite element modeling. In order to
validate the finite element modeling approach, a comprehen-
sive experimental program was designed and carried out to
compare the experimental and the model results. RC beams
were strengthened using CFRP and GRFP materials with
various techniques and then tested in three point bending.
Comparison of modeling and experimental results was car-
ried out in terms of load–deflection response. The results
of numerical simulation showed close agreement with the
experimental observations. The ability of the finite element
modeling technique adopted in this study to predict damage
and cracking pattern is also highlighted in this paper.
Abbreviations
CFRP Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer
Keywords RC beams · Finite element modeling ·
CMOD Crack Mouth Opening Displacement
Strengthening · Flexure · FRP materials · Cracking pattern
FRP Fiber Reinforced Polymer
GFRP Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer
LVDT Linear Variable Displacement Transducer
RC Reinforced Concrete

List of Symbols
Ai Area of interface element
As Area of steel bar
A. Akram · R. Hameed (B) · Z. A. Siddiqi · M. R. Riaz · M. Ilyas α Ratio of E of interface to E of steel
Civil Engineering Department, University of Engineering D t Tensile damage tensor
and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
e-mail: rashidmughal@uet.edu.pk
D c Compressive damage tensor

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d Diameter of the steel reinforcing bars
E Modulus of elasticity
Gft Fracture energy in tension
Gfc Fracture energy in compression
l Embedment length of steel bars
Rt Tensile strength of concrete
Rc Compressive strength of concrete
S0 Stiffness matrix of the undamaged zone
h
σ̃ Stress in the undamaged part of the material
f
σ̃ Stress state in the tensile cracks
c
σ̃ Compressive part of the stress tensor
σ Apparent stress
εf In-elastic strain
ε Total strain
εpeak
t Peak strain in tension
εpeak
c Peak strain in compression
τ Bond stress
1 Introduction
In the past, steel has been used to strengthen the deficient
reinforced concrete structural elements. However, handling
problems due to excessive weight and corrosion problem of
steel material have led the engineers to use other types of
materials. Currently, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) com-
posites are considered to be the best materials for efficient,
reliable and cost effective repair and strengthening of RC
structural elements. Research studies in the recent past have
proved that the use of externally bonded FRP materials sig-
nificantly improves the flexural and shear strength of the RC
structural members [1–7].
After successful experimental investigations on the ap-
plication of FRP materials in strengthening of RC member
under different types of loading, analytical and finite element
modeling of mechanical behavior of strengthened/retrofitted
RC structural members has been carried out by many re-
searchers [8–15]. Majority of the existing approaches to
model the mechanical behavior of RC beam strengthened
by externally bonded FRP materials use nonlinear elastic-
ity or plasticity models for concrete. In this study, a damage
model is used to simulate the nonlinear behavior of plain
concrete. Steel–concrete interface is modeled by introduc-
ing elastic–plastic isotropic material. Linear elastic behav-
ior law is adopted to model the FRP behavior while elastic
perfectly plastic behavior is used for steel reinforcing bars.
Perfect bond is assumed between concrete and FRP mate-
rials. The finite element program CASTEM [16] is used to
perform finite element analysis. The aim of this research was
to numerically study the flexural response of rectangular RC
beams strengthened by different techniques using GFRP and
CFRP materials and subjected to concentric point load. In
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Arab J Sci Eng (2014) 39:8573–8584
order to validate the model results by comparing with experi-
mental observations, a comprehensive experimental program
was designed and carried out. The detail of this experimental
program is also included in this paper.
2 Constitutive Models of Materials
The RC strengthened beam is considered as five-phase com-
posite. The phases are plain concrete, steel reinforcing bars,
steel–concrete interface, FRP material and FRP-concrete in-
terface. Damage model for plain concrete, elastic perfectly
plastic behavior for steel bars, elastic–plastic isotropic be-
havior for steel–concrete interface, linear elastic behavior
for FRP materials and perfect bond for FRP-concrete in-
terface were adopted for finite element modeling. All the
adopted constitutive models are available in the material li-
brary of finite element code CASTEM. The values of most of
the model parameters were determined through experimen-
tation. The experimental campaign designed and carried out
for this purpose is also part of this paper.
2.1 Plain concrete
An isotropic damage model proposed by Sellier et al. [17,18]
has been used to model the behavior of plain concrete. This
damage model uses measurable parameters as input such as
modulus of elasticity, tensile and compressive strengths, frac-
ture energies in compression and tension and strain at peak
of the uniaxial stress– strain curves in tension and compres-
sion. In the constitutive equations of the model, damage is
represented by two independent variables D t and D c . D t is
tensile damage tensor, and it represents the effect of tensile
cracking on the behavior law. The undamaged zone in tension
is represented by tensor (1 − D t ). The effect of loading on
h
the stress state of undamaged zone is presented by σ̃ which
is computed using Eq. 1.
h
σ̃ = S 0 × ε (1)
f
The stress state in tensile crack is represented by σ̃ which is
computed by using stiffness matrix of undamaged zone S 0 ,
inelastic strain εf and total strain ε.
f
σ̃ = S 0 × (ε − εf ) (2)
h f
After combining the stresses σ̃ and σ̃ , the resulting stress
c
σ̃ is given by the Eq. 3:
c h f
σ̃ = ((1 − D t ) × σ̃ ) + (D t × σ̃ ) (3)
Arab J Sci Eng (2014) 39:8573–8584 8575

Table 1 Damage model parameters

Model parameter Notation Value Unit

Young modulus E 20 GPa Yielding

Poisson ratio υ 0.2 – σy
Tensile strength Rt 1 MPa

Stress, σ
Compressive strength Rc 20 MPa
Fracture energy in tension Gft 105 Nm/m2
Fracture energy in compression, Gfc 6,176 Nm/m2
Rt
Peak strain in tension εpeak
t 1× E —
Peak stain in compression εpeak
c 0.0021 —

Elastic Plastic
c
The stress σ̃ can reach high compression values causing Strain, Є
compressive damage which is represented by D c (compressive
damage tensor). This type of damage physically represents Fig. 1 Elastic perfectly plastic model for steel bar
crushing of material. Due to this crushing, both zones (i.e.,
undamaged and damaged zones in tension) are affected. The Table 2 Elastic perfectly plastic model parameters
resulting stress after this damage is given by the Eq. 4. Model parameter Notation Unit Value

h f Young modulus E GPa 198

σ = (1 − D c ).((1 − D t ).σ̃ + D t σ̃ ) (4)
Poisson ratio υ – 0.2
h f Density of steel ρ kg/m3 7,890
After replacing σ̃ and σ̃ by their expression, Eq. 5 is Area of steel As m2 0.0000785
obtained as under: Yield stress σy MPa 278

σ = (1 − D c )(1 − D t )S 0 ε + (1 − D c )(D t )S 0 (ε − εf ) (5)

The internal variables of the model are D t , D c and εf , and
the evolution law of these variables are chosen according to
thermodynamics principles. For the detail of thermodynamic
framework, the readers are referred to Sellier et al. [17,18].
2.1.1 Model Parameters and Their Values
The values of different parameters of the damage model of
plain concrete were experimentally determined by perform-
ing tests on cylindrical and prismatic specimens. Concrete
cylinders of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height were tested
in compression to obtain compressive strength, static mod-
ulus of elasticity, peak strain and fracture energy in com-
pression. Notched prismatic specimens of size 100 × 100 ×
500 mm were tested in three-point bending as per Japanese
standard [19] to obtain fracture energy in tension. The dam-
age model parameters along with their values are given in
Table 1.
2.2 Steel Reinforcing Bars
The steel reinforcing bars used in the beam were tested ex-
perimentally in tension, and following mechanical properties
were obtained:
σy = 278 MPa
σu = 412 MPa
E = 198 GPa
The stress–strain curve of the reinforcing bar is assumed
to be elastic perfectly plastic as shown in Fig. 1. In present
modeling approach, the steel reinforcing bar is modeled as
bar element with elastic perfectly plastic response. The values
of different model parameters are given in Table 2.
2.3 Steel–Concrete Interface
The steel–concrete interface is modeled in this study as pro-
posed by Hameed [20]. In this approach, each reinforcing
steel bar is replaced with an equivalent system of interface
bond element and a bar element located at the center of the
interface element as shown in Fig. 2. The dimensions of the
square interface bond element are deduced from the diam-
eter of the steel bar to maintain the global stiffness of the
reinforced concrete element (Refer to Fig. 3) using Eq. 6.
As
Ai = (6)
1−α
Where

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Fig. 2 Method adopted to

model interface between steel
bar and concrete Steel bar model as
Concrete
uniaxial bar element
db
i

Steel Interface Element between steel and

concrete

Fig. 3 Global stiffness of two

equivalent systems

30
Table 3 Elastic–plastic isotropic model parameters
Model parameter Notation Unit Value 25

Young modulus E MPa 8,335 20

Stress, MPa

Poisson ratio υ – 0.2

15
Density of concrete ρc kg/m3 2,400
Stress–strain curve From pull out test [20] 10

0
Ai = Area of interface 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
As = Area of steel bar Strain
α = ratio of the ‘E’ of interface to the ‘E’ of steel
Fig. 4 Uniaxial multi-linear hardening curve used to model interface
bond element
Since the bond failure is a very slow process, the behavior
of interface bond element has been considered to be elastic– is used to calculate the stress using Eq. 7. The strain is cal-
plastic isotropic, and the real behavior is represented by a culated from the slip of steel bar using Eq. 8.
multi-linear hardening curve which is directly obtained from Fexp
pull out test results. In case of steel–concrete interface bond τ = (7)
4 × πd × l
modeling, the plastic behavior allows large slip to be consid-
Sli p
ered without any problem related to numerical simulation. γ = (8)
e
The values of different parameters of elastic–plastic isotropic √
Ai
behavior model are given in Table 3. Multi-linear hardening e= (9)
response curve required to be given as input in the finite ele- 2
ment code CATSEM for elastic–plastic isotropic constitutive
behavior law was obtained from reference [20] and is shown 2.4 FRP Material
in Fig. 4. Stress strain values in this curve were calculated
using the experimental data obtained from pull out tests in The stress–strain curve of the FRP material is assumed to be
terms of slip versus load. The experimentally obtained force linearly elastic up to rupture as shown in Fig. 5. The values

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3 Experimental Program

A comprehensive experimental program was designed and

σu executed. Under the scope of this experimental program,
Rupture
load–displacement response in three-point bending test
E (monotonic loading) of control RC beams and RC beams
Stress, σ

strengthened by externally bonded GFRP and CFRP materi-

als was obtained. The experimental observations were then
used to validate the modeling results.

3.1 Test Specimen Details

Strain, Є
A total of ten (10) beams of size 75 × 150 × 1,350 mm were
Fig. 5 Linear elastic behavior model for FRP material cast. All beams were designed as under reinforced section
to induce flexural failure on load application without shear
Table 4 Linear elastic model parameters failure. The beams were reinforced in flexure with two steel
Model parameter CFRP GFRP bars of 10 mm diameter. To avoid shear failure of RC beams,
shear reinforcement comprising of 6 mm diameter steel stir-
Young modulus, E (MPa) 231 25 rups with center to center spacing of 75 mm were placed
Poisson ratio, υ 0.15 0.15 along the entire length of the beam. Reinforcement details of
the test specimen are shown in Fig. 6.

of parameters of linear elastic model in finite element code

CATSEM were obtained by performing tension tests on FRP
materials and are given in Table 4.
2.5 Interface Between FRP Material and Concrete
The bond between concrete surface and FRP material by the
use of epoxy adhesive is always required to be perfect up
to failure without any slip between two materials. Hence, a
perfect bond has been considered between concrete and FRP
in this study.
3.2 FRP Material
In this research study, two types of locally available FRP
materials were used: Carbon Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)
wrap/sheet and Glass Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) strip.
Carbon Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) wrap/sheet: CFRP
wrap/sheet as shown in Fig. 7 is a unidirectional mesh of
carbon fiber and is sufficiently flexible to be wrapped in U-
shape. Properties of CFRP wrap/sheet are given in Table 5.
Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) strip: GFRP strips
as shown in Fig. 7 were provided by Fiber-Tech Glass Indus-

Fig. 6 Reinforcement detail of

test specimen

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CFRP Wrap/sheet GFRP Strip

Fig. 7 Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials

Table 5 Properties of FRP

materials Material CFRP GFRP

Fiber type and High strength carbon fibers and High strength glass fibers
Laminate design thickness (mm) 0.12 mm 3-4 mm
Specific weight 0.022 g/cm2 1.9 g/cm2
Modulus of elasticity (fibers) 231 GPa 35 GPa
Ultimate tensile strength (fibers) 4,100 MPa 415 MPa
Elongation at break 1.70 % –

Fig. 8 Grouping of test

specimens Total Beams =Ten(10)

Group A Group B Group C

Total Beams=2 Total Beams=6 Total Beams=2

Strengthened by using GFRP

Control Specimen Strengthened by using CFRP
Method 4

Sub-group B-1 Sub-group B-2 Sub-group B-3

Method 1 (2 Beams) Method 2 (2 Beams) Method 3 (2 Beams)

tries (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore. Some important properties of GFRP
strips are given in Table 5.
To bond the CFRP wrap/sheet and GFRP strip to the beam
surface, Impregnation Epoxy Adhesive (CHEMDUR 300)
was used. Tensile strength and density of this epoxy adhesive
were 30 MPa and 1.31 kg/lit, respectively.
3.3 Strengthening Techniques/Grouping of Beams
The beams were divided into three (3) main groups (i.e., A,
B and C) on the basis of strengthening technique and FRP
material used. Group C was further subdivided into three cat-
egories on the basis of strengthening methodology. Grouping
of ten (10) beams prepared for this research work is schemat-
ically presented in Fig. 8.
Group A: Two beams in this group were tested up to ultimate
load carrying capacity in three point bending. These beams
were taken as reference beams for this study. From the test
observations, load–deflection response was obtained. More-
over, during the testing, final failure modes of the RC beams
were also observed.

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900mm
900 mm 50 mm
Fig. 9 Strengthening of beam using Method-1 (CFRP)
Fig. 12 Strengthening of beam using Method-4 (GFRP)

3.4 Concrete Composition

900 mm
Fig. 10 Strengthening of beam using Method-2 (CFRP)
900 mm
Fig. 11 Strengthening of beam using Method-3 (CFRP)
Mix design of concrete was carried out to get the targeted
concrete cylinder strength of 21 MPa. The concrete was pre-
pared using locally available sand (Lawrancepur sand as fine
aggregates with maximum particle size of 3 mm and Margalla
crush as coarse aggregate with maximum aggregate size of
13 mm). W/C ratio was kept equal to 0.55. After pouring
concrete in molds, compaction was done on vibrating table.
50 mm Before pouring concrete, molds were sealed with the help of
silicone gel to prevent the loss of water. De-molding of spec-
imens was done after 24 h of casting, and then test specimens
were placed in the curing room at relative humidity of 80 %
and room temperature of 25 ◦ C.

3.5 Experimentation and Results

Group B: Six (6) beams in this group were strengthened us-
ing CFRP wrap/sheet. The beams were further divided into
To get the load–displacement response of beams (controlled
three subgroups on the basis of strengthening methodology
and strengthened), three-point bending tests were performed.
as shown in Fig. 8. In subgroup B-1, the beams were strength-
All tests were displacement controlled at the rate of 1 mm/min.
ened by U-Shaped CFRP wrap 0.9 m in length symmetrical
Central deflection of beam was recorded with the help of
about center of beam as shown in Fig. 9. It is to be noted
LVDT. All data were recorded with the help of strain smart
that in this case CFRP sheet above neutral axis is in com-
data acquisition system. The experimental results in terms of
pression and is ineffective in carrying load, but in order to
load–displacement response (average of two test specimens)
control de-bonding of CFRP sheet from concrete surface be-
are shown in Fig. 13, where it is evident that the maximum
fore rupture, it is beneficial to provide CFRP sheet along the
full depth of beam. Moreover, this technique is also used to
retrofit already damaged RC beams in which generally cracks 50

are extended above the half depth. This method of strength-

ening with CFRP wrap/sheet was named as Method 1. In Method-4 (GFRP Strip)
40
subgroup B-2, the beams were strengthened by U-shaped Method-2 (Half CFRP Wrap)

CFRP wrap/sheet along the half depth of beam (as shown in Method-1 (Full CFRP Wrap)

Fig. 10), 0.9 m in length symmetrical about center of beam, 30

Load (kN)

Method-3 (CFRP Strip)

and this method of strengthening was named as Method 2. In
subgroup B-3, the beams were strengthened by CFRP wrap
20 Control
used as strip, 0.9m in length and 50 mm in width symmetrical
about the beams center bonded to the soffit of the beam as
shown in Fig. 11. This method of strengthening was named 10
as Method 3.
Group C: Two (2) beams in this group were strengthened
using GFRP strip. The GFRP strip was 0.9 m in length and 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
50mm in width bonded to the tension side of the beams as Deflection (mm)
shown Fig. 12. The method of strengthening was named as
Method 4. Fig. 13 Experimental load–deflection curves

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Fig. 14 Finite element mesh

and boundary condition adopted
in numerical simulation

Symmetrical Symmetrical
surfaces surfaces

CFRP CFRP

CFRP Wrap
CFRP Wrap
(Half Depth)
(Full Depth)

Symmetrical Symmetrical
surfaces surfaces

CFRP Strip GFRP Strip

Fig. 15 Finite element meshing of RC strengthened beams in CASTEM

improvement in the load carrying capacity in flexure is at-
tained by beams strengthened by Method 4 (GFRP strip).
4 Numerical Simulation
To validate the approach to model the behavior of RC beams
strengthened by externally bonded FRP material with differ-
ent techniques, numerical simulation was done using finite
element code CASTEM [16]. In this code, modified Newton-
Raphson solver is used. The geometry of the modeled beam
and its boundary conditions are shown in Fig. 14. Finite el-
ement meshing of RC strengthened beams in CASTEM is
shown in Fig. 15. Only a quarter of the beam was analyzed
thanks to the double symmetry of the problem. The reinforce-

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Fig. 16 Reinforcement and Steel Stirrup (Diameter = 6 mm)

interface (Elastic-perfectly plastic bar element)

Interface element

Top Longitudinal Reinforcement

(Diameter = 10 mm)

Interface element
(Elastic-plastic isotropic with
Imposed Displacement
multi-linear hardening)

Bottom Longitudinal Reinforcement

(Diameter = 10 mm)
(Elastic-perfectly plastic bar element)
z
x y

Method-1 (CFRP Wrap - Full Depth) Method-2 (CFRP Wrap - Half Depth)
35 35
Model Result Model Result
30 30
Experimental Result Experimental Result
25 25
Load (kN)

Load (kN)
20 20

15 15

10 10

5 5

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

Method-3 (CFRP Strip) Method-4 (GFRP Strip)

35 35
Model Result Model Result
30 30
Experimental Result Experimental Result
25 25
Load (kN)

Load (kN)

20 20

15 15

10 10

5 5

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
Deflection (mm) Deflection (mm)

Fig. 17 Comparison of load–deflection curve

ment and the interface element details after developing the
geometry of quarter of beam in finite element code CASTEM
are shown in Fig. 16. Comparison of modeling and experi-
mental results in terms of load–deflection curves is shown in
Fig. 17, where it is observed that model predictions are in
good agreement with the experimental observations. Mod-
eling techniques adopted in this study involves such model
parameters which have definite physical meanings, and their
values are experimentally determined by performing stan-
dard tests on concrete, steel bars and FRP materials. The

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Fig. 18 Computed damage

pattern at 2 mm deflection

Control Beam

Method-1
(along the full depth of beam)

Method-2
(along the half depth of beam)

Method-3 (CFRP Strip)

Method-4 (GFRP Strip)

Dt =0 Dt =1

correct selection of the model parameters and approaches in
this is study to simulate the behavior of plain concrete, steel
bars, steel–concrete interface and FRP materials resulted in
good agreement between experimental results and model pre-
diction. The computed damage pattern at 2 mm deflection and
computed cracking pattern in control and strengthened beams
are presented in Figs. 18 and 19, respectively. The capabil-
ity of modeling techniques adopted in this study to compute
damage and cracking pattern is quite evident in these figures.
Simulation results in terms of tensile damage pattern and
cracking pattern were also found in close agreement with the
experimental observations.
5 Conclusions
Finite element modeling of RC beams strengthened by ex-
ternally bonded FRP materials was carried out using finite

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Control Beam
Deflection = 2 mm
Load =13 kN
CMOD=0 CMOD=8µm

Method-1
(Full CFRP Wrap)
Deflection = 2 mm
Load =15.6 kN CMOD=0 CMOD=5µm

Method-2
(Half CFRP Wrap)
Deflection = 2 mm
Load =15 kN CMOD=0 CMOD=5µm

Method-3
(CFRP Strip)
Deflection = 2 mm
Load =13.6 kN CMOD=0 CMOD=7µm

Method-4
(GFRP Strip)
Deflection = 2 mm
Load =15 kN CMOD=0 CMOD=6.5µm

Fig. 19 Computed cracking pattern in control and strengthened beams

element code CASTEM. Constitutive behavior laws for plain
concrete, steel bar, FRP materials and steel–concrete inter-
face adopted in the FE analysis were presented in this pa-
per. The results of the numerical simulation were validated
by comparing with experimental results obtained under the
scope of this research program. Findings of this study made
it possible to draw the following conclusions:
• By the use of modified Newton-Raphson procedure as
solver and with sufficiently small time steps, numeri-
cal simulation of flexural behavior of strengthened RC
beams in finite element code CASTEM did not show any
convergence problem.
• Prediction of load–deflection response of RC strength-
ened beam using damage model for plain concrete,

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elastic–plastic behavior law for steel bar, elastic–plastic
isotropic behavior law for interface between concrete
and steel, linear elastic behavior law for FRP material
and considering perfect bond between concrete and FRP
material yielded satisfactory results. Finite element mod-
eling results were in good agreement with experimental
observations.
• Behavior laws of different materials used in this study
involve such parameters which have definite physical
meanings, the value of which can be determined through
conventional tests on concrete, steel and FRP test spec-
imen in tension or compression following the standard
procedures of testing.
• Damage and cracking pattern in RC strengthened and
control beams was correctly predicted by the approach
adopted for simulation. The predicted damage and crack-
ing patterns were in agreement with the experimental
observations made during testing.
• Numerical modeling techniques employed in this study
are simple and are easy to execute which may be useful
for the practicing engineers to predict the effectiveness of
any FRP materials with different mechanical properties.
In this way, heavy experimentation cost required for this
purpose may be avoided.
Acknowledgments Financial support from the University of Engi-
neering and Technology Lahore Pakistan for this study is highly ac-
knowledged. The authors are also grateful to CEA (France) for provid-
ing the finite element code CASTEM and Prof. Alain Sellier and Dr.
Wajahit Hussain Mirza for their technical support.
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