Author

ENGINSAL, M. A.; GALAL, K.
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Abstract

An experimental and analytical study is conducted in order to investigate the flexural behaviour of masonry beams that are internally reinforced using Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) composite materials. Seven reinforced masonry beams with 4.0 m and 2.4 m clear spans were tested under four point bending setup. The beams were loaded monotonically up to failure. One had two courses of hollow concrete masonry units, and the remaining six beams had three courses. Two masonry beams were reinforced using conventional steel rebars which were considered as the control specimens. The remaining five beams were internally reinforced using Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rods with different reinforcement ratios. Beams were detailed to have sufficient shear reinforcement such that they did not fail in shear. Flexural capacity, deformation, curvature and strains of the tested GFRP-reinforced and steel-reinforced masonry beams were compared and discussed. Using the acquired data from the experimental and analytical studies, effectiveness of GFRP rods as internal reinforcement for concrete masonry beams is demonstrated.

Key words
Reinforced masonry, beams, FRP, flexure