FE Modeling of RC Beams Reinforced in Flexure with BFRP Bars Exposed to Harsh Conditions

This paper aim to investigate the effect harsh conditions have on the flexural behavior of concrete beams reinforced longitudinally with Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) bars. Finite element (FE) software, ABAQUS, is used to develop a nonlinear model capable of simulating the behavior of exposed FRP reinforced beams in flexure. Data extracted from the numerical simulations were compared with experimental data to validate the FE model. Through a parametric study, this paper aims to study the effect of reducing the modulus of elasticity on BFRP reinforced beams. The values of modulus of elasticity are reduced from the by 10%, 20%, and 30% and the impact is observed. The paper also presents comparative analysis among different BFRP tensile strength values. The analysis of the effect of varying tensile strength values on the behavior of BFRP RC beams will be conducted on an under-reinforced beam. The BFRP tensile strength value is reduced by 10%, 20%, and 30% and the impact is observed. The results show that the reduction of the modulus of elasticity of the BFRP bar decreased the flexural capacity of the BFRP RC beam proportionally. The proportional decrease was not affected by the number of reinforcement bars used in the beams with similar axial stiffness. In addition, a reduction the tensile strength of the BFRP bars caused a disproportional decrease in the flexural capacity of the beams. Beams with lower tensile strength values failed at lower deflections.