Tensile Testing of Fiber Reinforced Plastic FRP Rebars

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Tensile Testing of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP)
Re-bars

• By Carrie Richey
• And
• Michael Zolezzi

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Overview

• Definition
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• Applications
• Tensile Strength Testing

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Definition

• fiber reinforced plastic rebar designed to
  reinforce concrete due to concretes low tensile
  strength

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Advantages Disadvantages

• Corrosive resistant
• Tensile strength gt steel
• ¼ weight of steel
• Electric and thermally non-conductive
• Impervious to chloride and chemical attack

• Brittle
• More expensive than steel
• No industry standard
• Low Modulus of Elasticity
• Lack of familiarity within field

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Applications

• Areas conducive to corrosion
• Architectural Concrete
• Columns, pre-cast elements, cladding
• Concrete exposed to de-icing salts
• Bridge decks, parking garage
• Concrete exposed to marine salts
• Sea walls, piers, beachfront buildings

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Testing of FRB Specimens

• OBJECTIVE To determine the tensile strength of
  FRB specimens and how comparatively relates to
  steel.

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Experimental Program

• SETUP
• Cut four pieces of equal length
• Affix strain gauges
• Prepare ends of rebar

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Testing Procedure

• Place specimen in the SATEC
• machine and lock clamps
• Attach wires from strain gauges
• to stain gauge boxes
• Start computer program on both computer systems
• Let run until specimen breaks

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Observations

• Slippage
• Diameters of specimen too
• small
• Failure of epoxy
• Failure of specimen
• Data fluctuations

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Results and Measurements

 
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Stress vs. Strain FRP Rebar 1
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Stress vs. Strain FRP Rebar 2
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Stress vs. Strain FRP Rebar 3
Failed Stress vs. Strain Curve
Specimen 3
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Conclusion

• modulus of elasticity of the 4 FRP rebar was
  4.06 106 psi
• 3 rebar too small to be securely clamped into
  the SATEC machine
• two-part epoxy did not hold the pipe to the FPR
  rebar which caused slipping

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Sources of Error Improvements

• Slipping
• Epoxy was not mixed in the right proportions
• Pipe used was too small
• Specimen not completely vertical

• Use more ductile polymer
• Different method of applying casing
• Different casing wrap around method
• More specimen

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THE END

• thanks