Investigating the Deflection of Concrete Slabs Reinforced with CFRP and GFRP Plates and Bars

Today, increasing the flexibility and strength of structures against explosions and impacts is one of the main concerns of governmental organizations across the world. The consideration of progressive destruction has added to the importance of structural strength against explosions and impacts in recent years. In this regard, most of the existing structures do not have adequate resistance and flexibility against explosions and impacts. The present study investigates the behavior of a one-sided concrete slab in four cases, including the reinforced and non-reinforced concrete, using glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) plates in a gravity bearing building system on and under the slab explosive-loaded as a one-story structure with a span against direct explosive pressure. A TNT explosion model in the form of a 0.5-kg cube was applied to evaluate the deflection of the slabs in the ANSYS software which is capable of analyzing the explosion-load behavior of the structure. The loading parameters obtained from geometric modeling and other parameters required by the structure were modeled as 3D objects. The results indicated that the use of GFRP and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement plates were effective in reducing the displacement of the slabs due to the explosion load. They prevented the spalling and collapse of slabs and reduced slab displacement by 62%. In addition, an increase in the thickness of slabs, the diameter of GFRP bars, the number of CFRP layers, and their slab coverage percentage dramatically reduced the deflection of the samples.