The FRP Reinforced Shear-Friction Mechanism

The ability of reinforced concrete to resist shear forces across possible sliding planes is a well established area of research and is also recognised as an important aspect of the ability of reinforced concrete members to both resist loads and deformation. This characteristic of reinforced concrete is often referred to as the shear-friction or aggregate interlock mechanism and much of the previous research in this area has dealt with ductile steel reinforcement, which is assumed to yield prior to the shear-friction capacity being attained. In this paper, it is shown that, as FRP is an elastic material, the shear friction behaviour of FRP reinforced concrete is different to that with ductile steel reinforcement. However, and perhaps surprisingly, the shear-friction capacity of FRP reinforced concrete can be just as ductile and strong as steel reinforced concrete.