Serviceability Assessment of FRP-Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Parametrized Tensile Stress Block

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) as an alternative reinforcement material offers the major advantage of being corrosion-free compared to conventional steel reinforcement. However, FRP has lower elastic modulus than steel and thus concerns in serviceability performance may arise. In the structural design of FRP-reinforced concrete (FRP-RC) flexural members, the deflections under serviceability limit state should be checked against relevant deflection limits. This study focuses on the analysis of flexural response of FRP-RC beams taking into account the tension stiffening phenomenon by way of the parametrized tensile stress block (TSB). For prediction of deflections, a parametrized TSB is proposed for application in combination with nonlinear multilevel member analysis, where the analysis is performed first at sectional level and then at member level to account for the nonlinear response of cracked structural elements. Three FRP-RC beams tested in the literature are analyzed, and the good agreement between experimental and analytical results verifies the applicability and accuracy of the proposed parametrized TSB.