Bond performance of fiber reinforced polymer rebars in different casting positions

In the last two decades, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars have become attractive to civil engineers, due to their corrosion resistance and high strength‐to‐weight ratio. To take advantage of such properties, many research studies have been carried out on the mechanical and physical properties of FRP rebars in concrete, and critical issues have been discovered regarding the bond behavior of FRP rebars. In this study, an effort was made to investigate the effects of FRP rebar types, locations and concrete casting positions on the bond performance of FRP rebars embedded in concrete members. Experimental investigations were conducted using a total of 63 specimens, with seven types of reinforcing bars, and three different casting positions. According to the test results, the bond performance of FRP reinforced concrete was greatly influenced by FRP type and surface condition; while vertical casting showed higher bond strength than horizontal casting. In addition, the bond strength reduction ratio of FRP rebars cast in the horizontal direction was smaller than that of steel bars. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2098–2108, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers