# 3D FRP Reinforcement Systems for Concrete Beams: Innovation towards High Performance Concrete Structures

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a 3D CFRP reinforcement system for concrete beams that improves strength and ductility while using less material.

## Contribution

The study proposes aggregate coating and pseudo-ductile behavior to address CFRP's brittle failure and stiffness issues in concrete.

## Key findings

- Aggregate coating enhances CFRP-concrete bond and load-deflection stiffness.
- Debonding propagation creates pseudo-ductile behavior in CFRP-reinforced concrete.
- Equations derived from experiments describe cracking behavior and post-peak performance.

## Abstract

Despite the advantages of using lightweight and non-corrosive carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcements in concrete structures, their widespread adoption has been limited due to concerns regarding the brittle failure of CFRP rupture and its relatively softer load-deflection stiffness. This work offers logical solutions to these two crucial problems: using aggregate coating to strengthen the CFRP-concrete bond and ultimately the load-deflection stiffness, and using CFRP-concrete debonding propagation to create pseudo-ductile behavior. Subsequently, the concrete cracking behavior, the apparent CFRP modulus with aggregates, and the post-peak capacity and deflection of three-dimensional (3D) CFRP-reinforced concrete are all described by equations derived from experiments. These formulas will be helpful in the future design of non-prismatic concrete components for low-impact building projects. The potential of this innovative design scheme in terms of increased capacity and deflections with less concrete material is demonstrated through comparisons between non-prismatic CFRP-reinforced concrete and measured steel reinforced equivalency.