Numerical study on the structural performance of the continuous concrete slabs reinforced with hybrid BFRP/steel bars

Abstract

This study is mainly focused on the behavior of continuous concrete slabs reinforced with hybrid bars. Moment redistribution is a specific phenomenon in statically indeterminate structures due to the existence of redundant constraints and non‐uniform flexural stiffness of the reinforced concrete (RC) members. In this paper, a numerical one‐factor‐at‐a‐time parametric study was conducted using ABAQUS software to intensely understand the impact of several parameters on the performance of the hybrid RC continuous slabs. The investigated parameters were reinforcement type and ratio, FRP‐to‐steel ratio, and arrangement of reinforcement. The analysis results showed that the difference between sagging and hogging axial stiffness is the most influential parameter on the moment redistribution of hybrid‐RC continuous slabs. In addition, increasing the amount of reinforcement ratio at the mid‐span section is more effective in enhancing the load capacity of the slabs than over middle support section. Based on the obtained numerical results, some modifications to the Tarek et al. equations were proposed to be valid for hybrid‐RC continuous slabs. The presented modifications yielded good agreement with the numerical results predicting the moment redistribution of continuous concrete slabs with hybrid reinforcement.