Modeling and mechanical characterization of braidtruded fiber reinforced polymer rebar

Traditional steel rebar used for concrete reinforcement can be susceptible to corrosion. One solution to this problem is to substitute fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rebar in the place of steel. However, conventional unidirectional FRP rebars are limited by a linear elastic failure mode at relatively low ultimate strains. In this study, FRP rebar was developed to behave in a pseudoductile manner, where a progressive failure was achieved based on the composite architecture. Hybrid FRP rebar consisting of a unidirectional carbon fiber core encased in a braided aramid fiber overwrap was manufactured, and a model was developed to reflect the tensile response of the rebar based on constituent material properties and geometric parameters. Experiments were conducted in order to validate the model, which was successful in reflecting the pseudoductile tensile behavior exhibited by the rebar. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1582–1593, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers