Structural behavior of one-way slabs reinforced by a combination of GFRP and steel bars: An experimental and numerical investigation

Glass- fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) offers a significant alternative to steel in reinforced concrete, with superior corrosion and fire resistance. Though less ductile and more brittle in stress–strain behavior than steel, it is very helpful to combine GFRP with steel reinforcement that improves the structural behavior. This research investigates the flexural characteristics of a one-way slab reinforced by a combination of GFRP and steel reinforcement. Three identical concrete slabs ((1500 × 550 × 120) mm and 43 MPa) were tested under static load with GFRP replacement ratios of (0, 20, and 40)%. The experimental data were utilized to verify a numerical model. The experimental outcomes indicated a substantial impact of the GFRP replacement ratio on the failure mode. The failure mode was flexural, flexural-shear, and shear regarding the reference slab, 20%, and 40% replacement, respectively. GFRP replacement influenced ductility and ultimate load by (9.13 and 10.7)% and (−21 and 5.0)% for replacement ratio (20 and 40)%, respectively. Based on the numerical analysis, the parametric study (considerably affected the structural response. Failure mode changed to flexural, and shear-flexural concerning (20 and 40)%, respectively. The optimum load was characterized at 40%, while max toughness and ductility were achieved at 20%.