Long-term deflection of GFRP-reinforced concrete beams under uniform sustained load

This study aims to bridge in the information-gap associated with the long-term behaviour of GFRP-reinforced concrete members subjected to different types and levels of sustained load. At the University of Sherbrooke FRP Durability Facility, four rectangular concrete beams (two pairs), reinforced with 5 and 8 No. 3 (9.5 mm diameter) GFRP bars, were cast. Two beams contained upper steel reinforcement whereas the corresponding two had upper GFRP reinforcement of 9.5 mm diameter. The beam dimensions are 215 mm x 400 mm x 4282 mm with a simply supported loading span of 3810 mm. All beams were subjected to uniform distributed load using concrete blocks. In this paper, preliminary results of the beams' behaviour are shown along a period of six months; mainly reporting long-term deflection. The obtained deflection values are compared to the ACI 440.1R-06 and the CSA S806-02 estimates. Analysis is currently in progress, as well as further experimental monitoring, with regards to long-term deflection, crack width and creep strain evolution of FRP and concrete.