MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR STUDY OF BASALT FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER BARS IN FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

This work addresses the behavior of reinforced concrete beams with polymeric bars reinforced with basalt fibers (BFRP) and the addition of dispersed synthetic fibers into the mixture. Two beams with BFRP rebars were subjected to bending tests. Steel stirrups were used to avoid shear failure. It is observed that the addition of fibers contributed with a small increase in the load capacity and influenced the crack opening restriction. Analytical verifications were performed according to ACI 440.1R-15 and the Recommended Practice of IBRACON/ABECE. Both underestimated the deflection values of the beams. The prediction of crack opening by the Recommended Practice presents values higher than the experimental results.