Steel Free Hybrid Reinforcement System for Concrete Bridge Decks ...

Figure 2.2 – Flexural Bond Test
Since this test accurately replicates conditions in a beam, the results given are more
representative of bond strength than those given by the pullout test. The split in the middle
of the beam makes it possible to instrument both ends of the reinforcement, loaded and
unloaded, allowing strain gradients to be obtained. Also, it is possible to obtain two sets of
results from each specimen, if the reinforcement that slips first is clamped to prevent further
slip.
A modification of the flexural bond test is the cantilever bond test. The cantilever test
setup, shown in Figure 2.3, is basically half of a hinged-beam test, with a load cell providing
the resistance instead of the other half of the beam. The advantages of this test are relative
simplicity, since it is only half of the full test, and ease of instrumentation.
Figure 2.3 – Cantilever Test
2.1.2 Experimental Results from Bond Tests
Due to the increasing interest in corrosion-resistant reinforcement for concrete
structures, the amount of research being conducted on the bond of FRP with concrete has
been increasing steadily. As a fairly new field, the earliest research on the topic dates back
less than ten years. The earlier studies sought to provide basic information on bond behavior,
and the more recent studies have built on this information and have dealt with more aspects
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