Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Ezgi Bal Yetim

Glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars have been increasingly used as internal reinforcements in concrete structures to eliminate the corrosion of steel bars. These reinforcements could be used in other concrete structures such as seawalls to improve long-term performance and behaviour against dynamic, impulsive, and extreme loading conditions such as impact loads. However, seawalls reinforced with GFRP bars are a new research area in Australia. There is a very limited understanding of the behaviour of GFRP-reinforced concrete slabs under impact loads and how various design parameters influence their structural responses.

This novel study aims to evaluate the dynamic performance of vertical concrete seawalls reinforced with GFRP bars subjected to impact loading caused by the collision of vessels through experimental and numerical investigations. Various design parameters including the effects of impact drop height, concrete compressive strength, GFRP bar diameter, GFRP bar spacing, and mesh location and will be investigated experimentally to evaluate the impact force, impact energy, deflection-load relationship, stiffness, stress-strain relationship, crack propagation and failure response of seawalls. The finite Element Analysis (FEA) model will be developed and verified from the experimental results, and then parametric investigation of other important design parameters such as support conditions, seawall geometry and soil presence will be evaluated. The findings from this study will be useful to generate new knowledge and data on the analysis of the impact resistance of seawall slabs and to develop simplified design equations for GFRP-reinforced seawalls (GRS).

Keywords: GFRP, seawalls, slabs, GFRP-reinforced seawalls (GRS), impact force, impact energy, reinforcement configurations, finite element analysis, design equations.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 31 1088.