Experimental study of BFRP-RC beams exposed to elevated temperatures

Abstract. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement has been widely adopted due to its superior mechanical properties and durability compared to conventional steel reinforcement. However, the fire performance of FRP-Reinforced Concrete (RC) members remains uncertain due to a lack of consistency in the limited available experimental results on concrete structural members with FRP subjected to elevated temperatures. This study consequently presents the flexural test results of eight steel and Basalt FRP (BFRP) RC prismatic beams exposed to elevated temperatures. The beams were subjected to target temperatures of 200, 400, and 700ºC before undergoing flexural testing. The experimental results revealed that the load-carrying capacity of steel RC beams decreased by a maximum of 35.5% at 400°C, while BFRP RC beams showed a 66.1% reduction at 700°C compared to those at room temperature. Overall, steel RC prismatic beams demonstrated a load-carrying capacity up to 60.5% higher than that of BFRP RC prismatic beams at all temperatures. Hence, beams with steel reinforcement can better withstand elevated temperatures compared to those with BFRP reinforcement, while BFRP RC beams still demonstrate acceptable performance.