A simple and practical model for FRP-reinforced cracked beam

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical method is developed to model tensile crack in a three-point bending concrete beam which is reinforced with fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP). In this method, the energy release rate is estimated by considering fracture process zone (FPZ) and more accurate stiffness. To do so, the depth of the beam, the effective crack and the initial notch are considered in the FPZ length. To improve the accuracy of estimation, a spring element is used to model the cohesive zone. The energy dissipation rate is also calculated using virtual crack closure technique in FRP-reinforced concrete beam and then, the crack propagation criterion is presented. The model is easy and accurate, converges fast and is capable to model the crack growth in FRP-reinforced concrete cracked beam. Also, the model presented in this study shows acceptable similarity to the experimental data used.

Keywords:

• fracture
• stiffness
• energy release rate
• FRP