Flexural Behavior of the Precast Concrete Panel Facing Reinforced with GFRP Bars Compared to the Steel Rebars

The use of glass fiber-reinforced polymer, GFRP, as an external reinforcement has increased considerably over the past few years and replaced as an alternative material to the steel rebar. Being lightweight, corrosion-free, superior tensile strength, and high mechanical performance makes it desirable for various applications. The leading advantage of using GFRP bars as a reinforcement is that it enables concrete structures to achieve long service life without any major maintenance. Installation of the GFRP bars is similar to steel rebars, but with less handling, transporting, and storage cost. However, concrete elements reinforced with GFRP bars have this potential to fail immediately after cracking, and therefore, the moment of resistance should be much greater than the cracking moment compared to the RC members reinforced with the steel rebars. This paper demonstrates the comparison between the results of using different grades of GFRP bars and steel rebars for precast concrete panels used as the facing of a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls. Then, the flexural behavior and modes of failure of these panels are investigated.