Abstract
The overwhelming costs of maintenance for reinforced concrete structures due to steel corrosion have
motivated researchers to look for alternatives. One of the promising alternatives is Fiber Reinforced Polymer
(FRP). Among FRP materials, Carbon FRP (CFRP) is the most attractive material for prestressed concrete
members due to its high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. Previous studies investigated the use of
CFRP in prestressed concrete through experimental tests and theoretical analysis. However, there is a
significant need for more experimental data to develop an accurate model that can accurately predict the
behavior of CFRP prestressed concrete beams. In the current study, experimental flexural tests were
conducted on four prestressed concrete beams pre-tensioned with CFRP rods. The length of the beams was
4,270 mm, and the cross-sectional dimensions were 138 x 250 mm. All the beams were subjected to fourpoint loading with an initial five cycles of loading and unloading before a monotonic loading until failure.
Their performance was analyzed, and based on the results a theoretical model was proposed. It was found
that the slippage of CFRP at the ends significantly affect the flexural behavior and failure modes of the
beams. Additionally, theoretical models must account for CFRP slippage at the ends to accurately predict
the flexural response of CFRP prestressed concrete beams. When a slippage reduction factor was used in
the proposed theoretical model, the results had a good agreement with the experimental tests. Future
research may focus on testing the theoretical model with more data from experimental studies.
motivated researchers to look for alternatives. One of the promising alternatives is Fiber Reinforced Polymer
(FRP). Among FRP materials, Carbon FRP (CFRP) is the most attractive material for prestressed concrete
members due to its high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. Previous studies investigated the use of
CFRP in prestressed concrete through experimental tests and theoretical analysis. However, there is a
significant need for more experimental data to develop an accurate model that can accurately predict the
behavior of CFRP prestressed concrete beams. In the current study, experimental flexural tests were
conducted on four prestressed concrete beams pre-tensioned with CFRP rods. The length of the beams was
4,270 mm, and the cross-sectional dimensions were 138 x 250 mm. All the beams were subjected to fourpoint loading with an initial five cycles of loading and unloading before a monotonic loading until failure.
Their performance was analyzed, and based on the results a theoretical model was proposed. It was found
that the slippage of CFRP at the ends significantly affect the flexural behavior and failure modes of the
beams. Additionally, theoretical models must account for CFRP slippage at the ends to accurately predict
the flexural response of CFRP prestressed concrete beams. When a slippage reduction factor was used in
the proposed theoretical model, the results had a good agreement with the experimental tests. Future
research may focus on testing the theoretical model with more data from experimental studies.
Keywords
bond
CFRP
Flexural performance
Pre-tension
Prestressed concrete beams
Slippage
Theoretical analysis