Performance of Hybrid Reinforced T- Beam with Recycled Rubberized Concrete

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced polymer FRP has turned into a practical stand-by construction material for the substitution of steel bars in reinforced concrete RC structures. However, the brittleness of GFRP reduces the ductility of pure GFRPRC beams. To increase flexural ductility and retain the high-strength feature of the FRP bars, hybrid reinforcement was proposed to solve this problem. This paper discusses the flexural capacity and ductility of rubberized hybrid reinforced concrete (RHRC) T-beams. The current research aims to assess the flexural strength, ductility, and energy dissipation of RHRC T-beams. Eight full-scale RC simply supported T-beams were subjected to a two-point loading test. Control RC T-beams (BS, BS1) were designed with traditional steel bars. The beam (BRF) was designed using GFRP bars only, and the other five beams (BH, BH1, BRH1, BRH2, and BRH3) were reinforced using hybrid rebars using GFRP and steel/reinforcement. The percentage of the GFRP bars to steel bars at the mid‐span section and the effect of crumb rubber on the hybrid concrete matrix were the main parameters considered in this study. The structural performance in terms of flexural capacity, ductility, cracking, deformations, and failure mode was evaluated. Based on the test results, the use of steel reinforcement in combination with GFRP reinforcement improved the flexural capacity and serviceability in terms of the number of cracks and energy dissipation, while decreasing ductility compared to steel-reinforced beams.