Bond performance of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer bars in conventional Portland cement concrete: a relative comparison with steel rebar using the hinged beam approach

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation carried out to evaluate the bond stress behavior of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bar and steel rebar (SR) in conventional C30-type concrete. The experimental program was conducted on testing 16 hinged beam specimens that were prepared according to BS 4449: 2005+A2: 2009 standard. Conventional C30-type concrete was used to produce hinged beams. In beam tests, bar diameter and embedment length were used as experimental variables. The bond performances of BFRP bar and SR were compared with the help of the load-slip results of hinged beam bending tests conducted on produced beam samples after 28 days of curing. Results showed that much higher bond stress values were obtained from BFRP bars compared to SR for both 12 and 8 mm bar diameters. Besides, the maximum bond stress values decreased with increasing bar diameter and embedment length for both BFRP bar and SR.