Experimental Study on Bond Performance of Carbon- and Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP/GFRP) Bars and Steel Strands to Concrete

FRP bars and steel strands are widely used in civil engineering. In this study, three different types of high-strength reinforcement materials, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) bar, glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar, and steel strand, were investigated for their interfacial bond performance with concrete. A total of 90 sets of specimens were conducted to analyze the effects of various parameters such as the diameter of reinforcement, bond length, the grade of concrete and stirrup on the bond strength and residual bond strength. The results show that CFRP bars possess a higher bond strength retention rate than steel bars in the residual section. In addition, with the increase in bond length and diameter of the CFRP bar, the residual bond strength decreases, and the bond strength retention rate decreases. Furthermore, the bond strength retention rate of GFRP bars was found to be higher than that of CFRP bars. With the increase in grade of concrete, the bond strength and residual bond strength between GFRP bars and concrete increases, but the bond strength retention rate decreases. With an increase in bond length and diameter of the GFRP bar, the bond strength starts to decrease. Further, stirrup can also increase the bond strength and reduce the slip at the free end of GFRP bars. Moreover, the bond strength retention rate of the steel strand was found to be lower than CFRP and GFRP bar.