Experimental Investigation and Numerical Analysis on the Flexural Response of the GFRP-Reinforced Concrete Pontoon Deck

Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars have been a cost-effective alternative internal reinforcement to concrete structures in harsh maritime environments to eliminate corrosion issues with steel reinforcements. This study experimentally and numerically investigated the flexural behaviour of concrete pontoon decks reinforced with GFRP bars under static loading conditions. Large-scale concrete pontoon decks, with dimensions of 2400 × 1500 × 125 mm (length × width × thickness) and with an edge cutout (300 × 300 mm) simulating the location of piles. In the finite element (FE) analysis, the concrete's elastoplastic material behaviour and its post-peak degradation in strength and stiffness were modelled using the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model while the GFRP bars were assumed to exhibit a linear elastic behaviour up to failure. The experimental and numerical results revealed that the presence of an edge cutout can cause stress concentration, leading to the initiation of a crack occurring in the lower bending moment.