Equivalent rectangular stress distribution in thermoplastic beam design

Abstract

Thermoplastics with and without fiber-reinforced plastic reinforcement are currently being used in waterfront applications, for example, in piers instead of timber and reinforced concrete pilings. Although the use of thermoplastics as the compression members exists, they have not been used as the flexural members in civil engineering structures such as bridges or building. To be able to safely use these materials as flexural elements in structures, the suitability of the design procedures needs to be investigated. In this study, ultimate strength design procedure similar to the one used in concrete structures was developed for thermoplastic beams. Experimental data were also provided for comparison. Although the needed coefficients used in the procedure need modifications by more experiments, the developed procedure shall be valuable for practicing engineer using familiar procedures of reinforced concrete design.