ABSTRACT
The effect of concrete age on the bond performance of GFRP bars was investigated by performing pullout tests on ribbed GFRP bars partially embedded in a concrete cube with 200 mm edge length. The experiments performed showed that the bond strength increased by 19% after 98 days compared to 7 days. Based on the experimental data, a time dependent analytical model was developed to predict the bond strength and bond-slip curves at different ages. A finite element model of the experimental bond test was developed in commercial software ABAQUS using cohesive interaction between the bonded surfaces and concrete damage plasticity law. The damage parameter is defined from the bond-slip curve obtained analytically or experimentally. Parametric studies were conducted to study the effect of concrete strength and rebar diameter on bond strength of GFRP bars.
