Key Engineering Materials Submitted: 2018-11-08

ISSN: 1662-9795, Vol. 808, pp 177-182 Revised: 2019-03-20

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.808.177 Accepted: 2019-03-21
© 2019 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland Online: 2019-06-21

Experimental Study of Concrete Beams Reinforced with GFRP Rebars

Exposed to High Temperatures
DANĚK Petr1,a, ROZSYPALOVÁ Iva1,b*, KAREL Ondřej1,c
1
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Veveří 331/95, 602 00 Brno,
Czech Republic
a
petr.danek@vutbr.cz, biva.rozsypalova@vutbr.cz, condrej.karel@vutbr.cz

Keywords: concrete, beam, GFRP, high temperature, load bearing capacity.

Abstract. The paper deals with the experimental study of the residual behaviour of large concrete
beams reinforced with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars exposed to high temperatures
equivalent to fire load. The four-point bending test was carried out on the beams after cooling. This
study provided values for the load bearing capacity of the beams.

Introduction
The use of composite materials is especially advantageous when it is estimated that increased
demands will be placed on a structure’s resistance to the corrosiveness of aggressive chemical
substances. Concrete structures can easily be reinforced with composite reinforcement. In this case,
polymer reinforced with fibres, i.e. FRP – Fibre Reinforced Polymer, is a frequently chosen option. A
typical FRP element primarily consists of supporting fibres enclosed within polymer matrix, which
protects the fibres and ensures their mutual interaction. The fibres that appear most frequently in
generally available types of FRP reinforcement are made from glass (GFRP – glass fibre reinforced
polymer) [1].
The main component of long glass fibres is a silicon dioxide compound (SiO2). Under tensile
stress, fibres are linearly elastic up to their failure and exhibit high tensile strength. Glass fibres are
also used owing to their cost-effectiveness compared to other types of FRP. It is also possible to use
reinforcement made from carbon fibres (CFRP – carbon fibre reinforced polymer). However, in spite
of their excellent mechanical properties and resistance to very high temperatures, carbon fibres are
not used very often due to their high price. The polymer matrix is significantly more flexible than the
glass fibres within it. The most frequently used matrix materials include polyester, epoxy and vinyl
ester [1].
The exposure of GFRP reinforcement to increased temperatures results in significant changes in
its characteristics. Changes in the mechanical properties are more influenced by the matrix
characteristics than by the characteristics of the reinforcing fibres. For polymer matrices, an
important temperature is the glass transition temperature (ranging from 50 to 140 °C depending on
the type of matrix) at which point softening and failure occurs. Polymer matrix degrades at
temperatures of 200 to 350 °C. Glass fibre degradation is supposed to begin within the temperature
range of 300 to 500 °C [1–3].
High temperatures also markedly influence the quality of concrete. When heated to above 80 °C,
concrete can already degrade and its mechanical characteristics change. Up to 200 °C, its
compressive strength can even slightly increase. However, heating above 200 °C causes a decrease in
compressive strength. One of the most important factors influencing the compressive strength of
concrete exposed to high temperatures is the type of aggregate used. When exposed to fire, the
behaviour of concrete with limestone aggregates is better than that of concrete with siliceous
aggregates [4–7]. Research papers also suggest suitable applications for concretes with lightweight
aggregates. Concretes of common strength classes suffer less of a reduction in their properties than
high-strength materials (due to the influence of structure and porosity). The results of fire
experiments are also influenced by the chosen specimen size and shape; smaller specimens lose more

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178 Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Buildings II

strength than larger ones, while cubes have a higher residual strength than beams. Also, the material
heating speed plays a fundamental role, and it has been proven that with faster temperature growth,
concrete degrades more [4, 8].
The tensile and flexural strengths of concrete are partly influenced by the same factors as
compressive strengths. Some research papers, however, have different opinions on the influence of
aggregate; according to some researchers, it is negligible, while others think that siliceous aggregate
is more suitable than limestone aggregate. An important difference between tensile and flexural
strengths is the higher sensitivity of tensile strengths to elevated temperatures, where the increasing
temperature causes more significant reductions [4, 5].

Experimental Programme
The main objective of the described research was to determine the influence of high temperatures on
the residual behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with GFRP rebars exposed to bending load.
Specimens. For the purposes of the planned testing, concrete beams were made with the dimensions
100×150×1800 mm. The central part of the beams (a 1000 mm long section) was intended for
loading with temperature and forces, and the remaining 400 mm sections on both sides were
intended only as anchoring areas. Composite glass-fibre polymer reinforcement PREFA REBAR (E-
glass composite containing 80 weight % of fibers in epoxy matrix; rebar mass density 2100 kg·m-3
produced by PREFA Kompozity) with a diameter of 10 mm was placed along the entire length of the
bottom face of the beam. The cover of this reinforcement was varied to ensure different acting high
temperatures – the cover variants were 25, 35, and 45 mm. The shear reinforcement (stirrups made
of steel with a diameter of 6 mm) was placed in the following manner: one was at a distance of
150 mm from midspan on each side of the middle of the beam, and then another 4 stirrups were
placed in each half of the beam with a spacing of 80 mm. Each beam was thus reinforced with a total
of ten stirrups. The installation of the shear reinforcement made use of structural reinforcement near
the upper face of the beam made of B500B steel with a diameter of 6 mm.
Specially designed anchoring fixtures were placed on the reinforcement elements to create of an
additional spreading area in the anchorage zone of reinforcement (unheated section in the
experiment). The prepared reinforcement placed in the mould before concreting is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 Prepared beam reinforcements in the mould before concreting, including thermocouples.

In order to monitor the temperatures during the fire test, the beams were equipped with type K
thermocouples. They were located directly on the reinforcement at midspan, and they were also
attached to the reinforcement in the anchoring area (so without the direct action of high
temperatures at the point of placement of the beams on the furnace).
Concrete was made using common industrial methods and transported in a concrete mixer. It was
standard structural concrete with a strength class of C30/37. A total of 21 beams were made.
Fire test. At the age of 3 months, the reinforced beams were exposed to temperature load on the
fire test furnace (see Fig. 2) at the AdMaS Centre of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 808 179

University of Technology. The furnace is equipped with two diagonally positioned gas burners,
thanks to which it is possible to achieve high temperatures in the gas chamber very quickly, which is
required if the fire test is to simulate the actual temperatures during a fire as faithfully as possible [9].

Fig. 2 The gas furnace with specimens in the AdMaS Centre on the left (including the data logger
and extension thermocables for thermocouples), specimens on the right.

Temperatures inside the furnace, on the reinforcement bars and on the upper faces of the beams
were measured with the aforementioned thermocouples connected to a MS6D Comet data logger
with a temperature measurement rate of 1 measurement per second in the heating phase and
1 measurement per 60 seconds in the cooling phase. One independent thermocouple was placed
directly inside the furnace and connected to the furnace control unit. It regulated the performance of
the burners according to the measured temperatures.
The specimens were loaded with temperature unilaterally from the bottom face of the beams, in
two phases. The development of temperatures in the first phase of the heating was regulated in
accordance with the ISO 834 standard fire time-temperature curve [6] until the required target
temperature in the furnace of 1000 °C was achieved, which actually occurred during the experiment
after 90 minutes. In the second phase, this temperature was maintained for another 120 minutes. The
temperatures recorded in the furnace over the course of the fire test are given in Fig. 3. After
completing the heating, the specimens were left to cool down to room temperature. One of the sets
of specimens was kept as a reference set without thermal loading.

1200

1000
Temperature [°C]

800

600

400

200

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Time [min]
Fig. 3 Temperatures in the furnace during the heating phase of the fire test.
180 Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Buildings II

Flexural tests. The cooled specimens were subjected to mechanical loading in a four-point
bending test. The beams were placed on roller supports at a distance of 1000 mm. Two forces acted
in the middle of the beam at a mutual distance of 300 mm. The setup for the bending test is
documented in Fig. 4. During the test, the maximum forces were measured and recorded.

Fig. 4 Setup for the flexural testing of reinforced beams – the four-point bending test.

Results and Discussion

After completing the fire test, the specimens were noticeably deflected, but after they had undergone
mild cooling and were moved outside the furnace area, the deformation was reduced and the
deflections were negligible.
It was apparent during the mechanical loading of specimens that the thermally damaged specimens
and reference specimens behaved differently. Visual differences can be observed from the attached
photo documentation for the specimens selected from each series, see Fig. 5. Another damage
mechanism was also clearly apparent for the reinforcement bars themselves, see Fig. 6, which also
shows a detailed image of the reinforcement after the mechanical test.
The resulting forces (the sum of both forces) measured during mechanical loading are given in
Table 1 below, where they are labelled F. The results also include the maximum temperature values,
TGFRP, measured using the thermocouple on the reinforcement in the beam axis (provided the value is
available). The average values F and TGFRP were calculated for individual groups of covers and
temperatures. The calculation of the relative residual force (relative load bearing capacity), Frel,c [%],
is the proportion of the average value Fmean for a cover c and of F values for the individual specimens
exposed to high temperatures. An average value of Frel,c,mean [%] was calculated for each group of
specimens from the individual relative residual forces.
The flexural testing of beams with a cover of 25 mm resulted in a decrease in the maximum load
during damage from approximately 41 kN for a specimen not exposed to temperatures to
approximately 13 kN for a specimen exposed to temperatures, which is a decrease of almost 70 %.
Degradation was most pronounced in these specimens. This is also related to the measured
temperature, which was 573 °C on average. The specimens with the highest cover (i.e. 45 mm) were
heated to the average maximum temperature of 493 °C. This also caused the fundamental
degradation of the specimen, with an average decrease in load bearing capacity of 48 %.
There was a significant degradation in the material of the specimens due to their exposure to high
temperatures. The attached photo documentation indicates the total degradation of the polymer
matrix, which was completely missing from the specimens after the fire loading. The glass fibres
changed their characteristics from hard and very brittle to soft, elastic and flexible. They also
changed colour from light yellow to grey or black. The concrete also underwent changes during the
fire experiment. It was possible to see fine cracks on the surface of the specimens. In the case of the
lower covering layer the concrete became lighter, but simultaneously became significantly browner
and even black in the area above the reinforcement, though this is attributed to the waste from the
reaction between the GFRP reinforcement and the high temperatures to which it was exposed.
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 808 181

Fig. 5 Specimens after the bending tests were performed a) reference specimens (without thermal
loading) – top line – and b) for specimens exposed to high temperatures – bottom.

Fig. 6 Damaged beams reinforced with GFRP and subjected to flexural testing – detail of the
damaged reinforcement after exposure to increased temperatures (specimen with a cover of 45 mm).

Table 1 Maximum force in the bending test and the relative force related to the reference specimen
(force F is the sum for both loads)
c TGFRP TGFRP,mean F Fmean Frel,c Frel,c,mean
Specimen
[mm] [°C] [°C] [kN] [kN] [%] [%]
G10_25_REF_1 25 20 39.13
G10_25_REF_2 25 20 20 41.99 41.12 100.0 100.0
G10_25_REF_3 25 20 42.25
G10_25_1000_1 25 581 11.53 28.0
G10_25_1000_2 25 565 12.38 30.1
573 12.59 30.6
G10_25_1000_3 25 − 13.10 31.9
G10_25_1000_4 25 − 13.34 32.4
G10_35_REF_1 35 20 37.65
G10_35_REF_2 35 20 20 36.09 37.94 100.0 100.0
G10_35_REF_3 35 20 40.08
G10_35_1000_1 35 530 13.46 35.5
G10_35_1000_2 35 568 549 13.37 13.93 35.2 36.7
G10_35_1000_3 35 − 14.97 39.5
G10_45_REF_1 45 20 32.19
G10_45_REF_2 45 20 20 32.27 31.96 100.0 100.0
G10_45_REF_3 45 20 31.43
G10_45_1000_1 45 494 16.01 50.1
G10_45_1000_2 45 491 14.79 46.3
493 16.59 51.9
G10_45_1000_3 45 − 19.49 61.0
G10_45_1000_4 45 − 16.06 50.2
182 Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Buildings II

Conclusion
The paper describes changes in the behaviour of concrete beams which were reinforced with GFRP
reinforcement and exposed to high temperatures. These temperatures were achieved very quickly,
which corresponds to the real development of thermal loading in a typical fire. Tests were performed
on three sets of specimens with reinforcement covers of 25, 35, and 45 mm. The evaluated value was
the load bearing capacity, which was reduced by almost 70 % due to the impact of high temperatures
on the specimens with a reinforcement cover of 25 mm. It was possible to prove the influence of high
temperatures on the degradation of the considered reinforced elements.

Acknowledgements
This paper has been created with the support of a specific research project from Brno University of
Technology, project No. FAST-S-18-4824 “Experimental analysis of the response of concrete
elements with embedded rebar, helical and glass-fibre reinforcement after exposure to high
temperatures”.

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