Prediction of the flexural behaviour of concrete members reinforced with GFRP bars

Can the flexural behaviour of concrete members with glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) bars be predicted using the same equations employed for members reinforced with steel bars? To answer this question, published experimental data of three test series of beams and slabs are analysed using the moment-curvature relationship for cracked sections given by the CEB-FIP Model Code 1990 (MC-90). The curvature is employed to calculate deflections which are compared with experimental values. The comparison allows the calibration of the bond coefficient, beta(1), in the MC-90 equation. This is done for three different types of GFRP bars. Some comparisons ate made of the observed crack spacings and crack widths to those predicted by the equations of the Eurocode 2-1991 (EC2-9I).