Behaviour of FRP reinforced shear walls under cyclic loading Kingston University in United Kingdom

In the last 2 decades fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have become a suitable material for strengthening of existing Civil Engineering structures for their resistance to corrosion and high strength among other excellent material properties. FRP internal reinforcement is also becoming the subject of research in reinforced concrete elements as its shows promising results under static and cyclic loading. Published research on beams and slabs reinforced with glass FRP and basalt FRP demonstrate the potential of replacing the steel in elements that are exposed to harsh environments.

The aim of the project it to investigate the behaviour of FRP reinforced shear walls under cyclic loading. The influence of reinforcement ratio, anchorage and combination with steel reinforcement will be studied via experimental and numerical work.

The project is the second stage of the research of the supervisory team on FRP reinforced elements under horizontal cyclic loading. The ultimate capacity, failure mode and energy absorption of the samples will be the main parameters when comparing the samples with the steel reinforced shear walls. The research will contribute to the creation of a database of experimental results to allow the development of finite element models using ANSYS and other specialised software in the modelling of RC structures. Verified finite elements models will be used to conduct parametric studies aiming to assess the influence of different factors on the effectiveness of the reinforcement.

The outcomes of the study will contribute to the possible broader application of FRP as internal reinforcement and its use by structural designers and practitioners in the design of tall buildings.