Effect of shear stiffness and concrete wedge cone failure on fracture of a fiber-reinforced plastic rod at an intersection with a concrete crack

Experimental results of model specimens in which FRP rods fractured due to local deformation at a crack intersection in a concrete member were analyzed by a 3D nonlinear finite element method in which orthogonal anisotropy of the FRP rod was considered. The analytical results indicated that accurate prediction of shear modulus of the FRP rod and size of concrete wedge cone failure around the FRP rod was significant to predict deformation and fracture of the FRP rod. FRP rods as reinforcement in concrete members, the small shear modulus, because of the orthogonal anisotropy and the wedge cone failure, may prevent the FRP rod from fracturing at a very low tensile stress due to the local deformation at the crack intersection.