Experimental and analytical research on geopolymer concrete beams reinforced with GFRP bars

This paper presents the behavior of geopolymer concrete beams reinforced with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. In the study, ordinary Portland cement concrete and geopolymer concrete beams having GFRP bars were prepared and tested under four- point loading. The load- deflection diagrams and load capacities of the tested beams were obtained. It was observed that the tested beams exhibited good ductility and significant deflection capacity. The results showed that increasing the tension GFRP reinforcement ratio caused enhancement in the strength capacity of geopolymer concrete beams. In addition, the tested beams were analyzed to obtain the load capacity and the load- deflection responses. The theoretical load-deflection curves and load bearing capacities have been predicted well with the test results. Parametric study has been performed to determine the influences of concrete strength, shear span to depth ratio (a/d) and reinforcement ratio on the behavior of geopolymer concrete beams longitudinally reinforced with GFRP bars. It was concluded that increasing concrete strength led to an increase in load capacity. Besides, the ultimate load increased as the reinforcement ratio increased. On the other hand, increasing a/d ratio reduced the ultimate load value of GFRP reinforced geopolymer concrete beams.