Study on tensile behaviour of basalt fibre reinforced polymer bars

Basalt fibre reinforced polymer bars have emerged as a promising alternative construction material for replacing conventional steel bars as reinforcement in concrete structures. However, a broad research is needed to assess the tensile behaviour of basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars. This paper presents an experimental study on the tensile properties of sand-coated BFRP bars of 8 and 10mm- diameters. The tensile specimens of these bars were prepared and tested according to ASTM D7205/D7205M-06. The failure morphologies of BFRP bars were observed with a scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results revealed that BFRP bars have high tensile strength than conventional steel bars but exhibit linear stress-strain relationship up to failure. Moreover, the modulus of elasticity of BFRP bars is significantly lower than that of conventional steel bars.