Bent capacity of thermoplastic GFRP rebars: an experimental program

Details

Supervisors

Saraiva Esteves Pacheco De Almeida, João

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil des constructions, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In response to the corrosion challenges associated with traditional steel rebars in reinforced concrete, the exploration of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) as an alternative has gained significant interest. This thesis investigates the impact of various factors on the bend capacity of FRP rebars. Additionally, a subset of specimens was instrumented with Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors (DFOS) to capture strain data along the whole length. The focus is on rebars with thermoplastic matrices, which allow for bending after curing. According to the findings, rebars with thermoplastic matrices can exhibit distinct behaviors from those with thermosetting matrices. Additionally, it is demonstrated that bend resistance is significantly impacted by the bending angle, which is not adequately addressed in the literature.