Experimental Study of Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams and Hybrid Beams

Abstract

This study compared the flexural performance of hybrid beams produced by using concrete in glass fiber reinforced plastic box profiles with concrete beams of the same dimension and concrete properties. Hybrid beams were evaluated in two groups, including standard beams and hybrid beams whose certain properties are improved. Five samples were collected from each test group. Flexure tests were performed on 1500 x 100x100 mm hybrid, improved hybrid and reinforced concrete beams, and flexural strength and fracture toughness values were compared. The flexural behavior of hybrid materials, which provide a higher performance increase due to their components than concrete beams, was analyzed. Analyses showed that hybrid materials provided the users with various advantages due to their components; the improved hybrid design had high flexural strength and fracture toughness, while reinforced concrete beams had a higher rigidity than hybrid beams.