This paper presents experimental and analytical studies on the shear behavior of GFRP perforated connectors (GPC)embedded in concrete. A series of 26 pultruded GPC specimens were fabricated and tested under pull-out load. The experimental variables included the effects of plate thickness, plate hole's radius and penetrating rebars. Concrete dowel failure and GFRP shear-out failure were the two main failure patterns of GPC specimens. GFRP failure occurred in specimens with a thin plate, and ultimate strength is mainly affected by the hole's radius. The specimens with concrete dowel failure presented more ductile than the specimens with GFRP shear-out failure. The shear stiffness of GPC was determined based on load-slip curves. Finally, the ultimate strength equations of GPC incorporating the stress concentration in the GFRP plate and the restraint effect of penetrating rebar were proposed based on the test results. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical results was achieved. A critical thickness of GPC plate was proposed to guarantee sufficient strength and ductility.

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In order to evaluate the shear performance of sand-coated glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) perforated connectors (SCGPC) embedded in concrete, 8 pull-out tests were conducted. Finite element (FE) analysis considering GFRP failure and cohesion between GFRP and concrete of SCGPC were conducted for parametric analysis. Effects of surface treatment, hole's radius, embedment length, and multi holes were examined. The test and theoretical analysis revealed that the strength of SCGPC is considerably larger than GFRP Perforated Connector (GPC). The stiffness of SCGPC is determined by the adhesion between concrete and GFRP. When GFRP plate's thickness is less than the critical thickness, the embedment length plays a major role in the strength of SCGPC. When embedment length is less than the effective bond length, the shear strength of SCGPC is governed by both the adhesion and GPC's shear capacity; otherwise, the strength of SCGPC is governed by the adhesion strength. Furthermore, an empirical equation was suggested to predict the shear strength of SCGPC. The equation involves the failure mechanism of both bond and GPC and deals the strength of SCGPC into two ranges according to the embedment length. Good agreement was achieved between the strength prediction by the suggested equation and the parametric analysis result.@en