Parametric study on bond of GFRP bars in alkali-activated cement concrete

Bond behaviour plays an important role in the design and performance of reinforced-concrete structures. In this study, finite-element modelling is used to perform a parametric study. The bond between the glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar and alkali-activated cement concrete is modelled by surface-based cohesive behaviour. The accuracy of the model is validated by comparing model predictions with experimental results. The effect of concrete cover, bar diameter, compressive strength, lead length, embedment length and GFRP elastic modulus on bond behaviour is investigated. Each of these parameters are varied based on a range of applicable values to study their influence on bond behaviour. The parametric study showed that bond behaviour is mainly affected by concrete cover, bar diameter, embedment length and the compressive strength of the concrete. The effect of the elastic modulus of the GFRP bar is not as pronounced as that of the other parameters, while the influence of lead length can be avoided by providing enough unbonded length at the loaded end. The parametric study is further used to calibrate a well-known bond equation and develop a new regression equation for predicting the maximum bond stress. The predicted results from these equations showed a good agreement with the experimental results as well as those of the finite-element model.