A study of the bond behavior of FRP bars in MPC seawater concrete

Using magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MPC) and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bar to produce reinforced concrete can overcome the durability problems facing conventional steel reinforced PC concrete. In addition, FRP bar reinforced MPC concrete can also mitigate the CO(2)emission issues caused by Portland cement (PC) production and the shortage of natural resources such as virgin aggregates and freshwater. This paper, therefore, is aimed at investigating the bond behavior of the FRP bars in MPC seawater concrete. The direct pullout tests were conducted with a steel bar, BFRP bar, and GFRP bar embedded into different concretes. The effects of reinforcing bars, type of concrete and mixing water on the bond behavior of FRP and steel bars were investigated and discussed. The results showed that the MPC concrete increases the bond strength of BFRP and GFRP bars by 51.06% and 24.42%, respectively, compared with that in PC concrete. Using seawater in MPC concrete can enhance the bond strength of GFRP bar by 13.75%. The damage interface of the FRP bar -MPC is more severe than that of PC with a complete rupture of the FRP ribs and peeling-off of the resin compared to that in steel reinforced MPC specimens. Moreover, the bond stress-slip models were developed to describe the bond behavior of MPC-FRP specimen, and the analytical results match well with the experimental data. In conclusion, the FRP bars showed better bond behavior in the MPC seawater concrete than that in the PC counterparts.

Automated summary

The use of MPC and FRP to produce reinforced concrete can overcome durability issues and mitigate CO(2) emissions and resource shortage. Experimental results show that using FRP bars in MPC concrete increases bond strength compared to PC concrete, and seawater can enhance bond strength of GFRP bars. Bond stress-slip models were developed to describe the bond behavior, with FRP bars showing better performance in MPC seawater concrete than in PC counterparts.