Exploitation of FRP fabric Reinforcement: Innovation beyond FRP bars

This study provides combined experimental and numerical findings for a novel use of 3D Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) fabrics as reinforcements in concrete beams. Experiments demonstrate that concrete beams reinforced with the multidirectional FRP fabrics not only possess adequate strength and ductility, but also have a great potential to achieve low-impact structures. In this study, a MATLAB-based code has been developed to determine the material and geometric design details of the 3D FRP reinforced concrete beams. This code includes the complex mechanical and geometric effects, e.g. concrete cracking, FRP-concrete bond, equilibrium, compatibility and boundary conditions. This design tool has been validated against experimental results, including load–strain and load–deflection curves. The validated code provides with a valuable tool to aid in achieving optimal reinforcement designs that ensure both strength and ductility in the 3D FRP reinforced beams casted by using notably less concrete material.