From 5 to 7 December 2025, the 6th National Conference on Composite Materials in Civil Engineering was held in Kunming. The conference focused on recent research advances and engineering applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC), and their application in civil engineering. Dr. Dawei Yan from Tongji University, the Project Principal Investigator of NEXCEL 2024 PhD project “Ultimate and serviceability limit state design for FRP-UHPC hybrid beams”, delivered a presentation entitled “Flexural behavior and design method of externally prestress GFRP-concrete Hybrid Beams.”
The report introduced a novel type of composite beam—the externally prestressed GFRP–UHPC hybrid beam—which aims to address issues such as steel corrosion and concrete degradation in steel–concrete composite beams, as well as insufficient stiffness in GFRP–concrete hybrid beams. To investigate the mechanical performance of this new structural system, the research team conducted a series of studies, including shear tests and load–slip modeling of GFRP bolt connectors embedded in UHPC, experimental investigations on the behavior of prestressed GFRP profile–UHPC hybrid beams, nonlinear finite element analysis, and the development of analytical theories for predicting load-carrying capacity and deflection. Based on these findings, corresponding design recommendations were proposed. The research outcomes are planned to be incorporated into the ongoing CECS standard “Technical Specification for FRP–Concrete Composite Structures.”
