Shear Performance of Concrete Beams Internally Reinforced with PBO Mesh

In this study, the new innovation of internal shear reinforcement by using FRP mesh as a substitute for conventional stirrups was introduced. The substitution was expected to overcome the corrosion problem due to the prolonged utilization of steel stirrups. The six concrete beams were tested under the four-point bending load. One un-reinforced specimen (REF) was selected as a control beam and five specimens were reinforced with the internal PBO mesh varying in the number of mesh layers (Nf) and the total width of internal mesh in the shear span (Lf). The results from the test revealed that the increase in the number of mesh layers significantly improved the shear performance of the beams. On the other hand, an enlargement of the mesh width surprisingly diminished shear resisting performance of the internal mesh due to the presence of horizontal crack at the area where concrete and PBO mesh were attaching.