Creep and durability of sand-coated glass FRP bars in concrete elements under freeze/thaw cycling and sustained loads

This paper presents the test results of 21 concrete beams (1800 x 130 X 180 mm) reinforced with sand-coated glass FRP composite bars. The individual and coupled effects of freeze/thaw cycles and sustained bending stresses on the long-term behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with GFRP composite bars were investigated. The beams were exposed to 100, 200 and 360 freeze/thaw cycles (-20 degrees C to +20 degrees C) either in an unstressed state or loaded in bending to cause a tensile stress equals to 27% of the ultimate tensile strength of the GFRP bar. The conditioned beams were tested up to failure in a four-point bending set-up over a clear span of 1500 mm. The test results showed that the single or coupled action of freeze/thaw cycles and sustained bending stresses has no significant effect on the behaviour of the tested beams in terms of deflections, strains, and ultimate capacity. It was also concluded that the long-term deflections and the creep strain limits specified by ACI 440.1R-06 are conservative. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.