Behavior of concrete beams reinforced with carbon FRP stirrups

 ABSTRACT

The use of FRP as reinforcement for concrete structures is rapidly increasing. However, limited research has been carried out to investigate the shear behavior of concrete beams reinforced in shear with FRP stirrups. Recently, new CFRP stirrups have been developed and characterized (El-Sayed et al. 2007). However, the behavior of these newly developed FRP stirrups in concrete members needs to be investigated and analyzed prior to be used in construc-tion, particularly for concrete bridge girders. This paper presents the test results of two large-scale New England Bulb Tee (NEBT) beams reinforced with 9.5-mm diameter carbon FRP stir-rups spaced at 300 mm (SC-9.5-2) and 200 mm (SC-9.5-3). The test results showed the ade-quate performance of the used carbon FRP stirrups. However, compared to the test results, the provisions of the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, CHBDC (CSA 2006) provided a conservative shear strength prediction for the tested beams.