Performance of Precast FRC Tunnel Lining Segments Reinforced with GFRP Bars under Quasi-Static Cyclic Flexural Loading
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 27, Issue 6
Abstract
Precast fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) tunnel lining segments are designed using fundamental principles recommended in various international design provisions and guidelines. Current design provisions, however, do not apply to designing precast concrete tunnel (PCTL) segments reinforced internally with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. Moreover, the behavior of PCTL segments reinforced internally with glass-FRP (GFRP) bars under quasi-static cyclic flexural loading is a field in which no experimental research results are available in practice. This paper reports on investigating the cyclic behavior of GFRP-reinforced precast FRC tunnel lining segments. Four full-scale GFRP-reinforced PCTL segments were fabricated and tested under quasi-static cyclic flexural loading. The segments had a total length, width, and thickness of 3,100, 1,500, and 250 mm, respectively. The investigated test parameters were the concrete type, the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and the transverse reinforcement configuration. The hysteresis response, cracking pattern, ductility index, deformability, unloading stiffness degradation, and secant stiffness damage index of the test segments were identified and evaluated. The experimental results from this study showed that the hysteretic response of the GFRP-reinforced precast FRC tunnel lining segments exhibited stable cyclic behavior with no or limited strength degradation until failure. Moreover, the test results showed that the segments demonstrated adequate ductility index and deformability limits. An analytical model to predict the hysteresis behavior of the test segments was produced, and its results were compared to the experimental results. The results of this study showed the effectiveness of using FRC for GFRP-reinforced PCTL segment applications under quasi-static cyclic flexural conditions.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and codes generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The authors are grateful to the precast company (Sym-Tech Béton Préfabriqué, Sainte-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada) and the GFRP bar manufacturer (Pultrall Inc., Thetford Mines, QC, Canada) for their effective involvement in this project. The authors also acknowledge the contribution of the technical staff of the structural lab in the Department of Civil and Building Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke.
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Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 27 • Issue 6 • December 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 7, 2022
Accepted: May 7, 2023
Published online: Oct 12, 2023
Published in print: Dec 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 12, 2024
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