Behavior of Arch Slabs Reinforced with FRP Bars Under Concentrated Loads

This research study investigates the feasibility of using fiber-reinforced polymer bars as internal reinforcement in concrete arch slabs. Five arch slabs were constructed with 0.5 m width, 0.975 m maximum height, and 3.92 m span. The thickness of the arch slabs varied from 100 mm at the middle to 175 mm at the ends. Test parameters included the type of reinforcing bars (Steel, Glass FRP, and Caron FRP) and reinforcement ratio. All arches were pin supported at both ends and were tested under two concentrated loads. Measurements included cracking, mode of failure, ultimate capacity, deflections, and strains in reinforcement. All tested arches showed good capacities ranging between 154kN and more than 250kN. The ultimate capacity of the steel-RC arch was slightly higher (16%) than the ultimate capacity of the GFRP-RC arch with the same reinforcement ratio, whereas the CFRP-RC arch showed higher capacity compared to the steel-RC arch. Increasing the GFRP reinforcement ratio from 0.63% to 0.95% and 1.27% enhanced the ultimate capacity by 26% and 61%, respectively. The test results showed that FRP bars can be used as a reinforcing material in arch slabs in corrosive areas as they showed comparable behavior to steel-RC arches.