Shear Behavior of Prestressed Concrete Girders Using GFRP as Shear Reinforcement
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1-1-2026
Abstract
Design guidelines for concrete structures reinforced with conventional carbon steel (CS) reinforcement are well-established, supported by decades of practical experience. However, there is limited experimental research has been conducted on the shear behavior of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) as shear reinforcement in prestressed concrete girders, especially at full scale. This study investigates the shear capacity and behavior of one full-scale prestressed concrete bridge girder, through testing and analysis. The girder was designed as AASHTO Type I bridge girder with a 10.4 m length and a cast-in-place composite deck. Test results were analyzed in terms of ultimate shear stress, failure mode, reinforcement strain, and crack patterns. The findings indicate that GFRP shear reinforcement can provide comparable shear capacity to CS. Moreover, current design equations from standards such as CAN/CSA S6-19 (2019), ACI 440.1 R-15, and AASHTO LRFD (2018) were found to provide overly conservative predictions for GFRP shear reinforcement. These results suggest that with appropriate adjustments to current design provisions, GFRP can be effectively used as shear reinforcement in prestressed concrete girders, offering a lightweight, corrosion-resistant alternative to traditional materials.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
First Page
900
Last Page
909
Recommended Citation
Moustafa, M., Mechaala, A., Belarbi, A., & Okeil, A. (2026). Shear Behavior of Prestressed Concrete Girders Using GFRP as Shear Reinforcement. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, 777 LNCE, 900-909. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-09399-8_85