Precracked reinforced concrete T-Beams repaired in shear with bonded carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer sheets

This study investigates the structural behavior of precracked reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. It reports on seven tests on unstrengthened and strengthened RC T-beams, identifying the influence of load history, beam depth, and percentage of longitudinal steel reinforcement on the structural behavior. The experimental results indicate that the contributions of the external CFRP sheets to the shear force capacity can be significant and depend on most of the investigated variables. This study also investigates the accuracy of the prediction of the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) contribution in ACI 440.2R-08, UK Concrete Society TR55, and fib Bulletin 14 design guidelines for shear strengthening. A comparison of predicted values with experimental results indicates that the guidelines can overestimate the shear contribution of the externally bonded FRP system. © 2012, American Concrete Institute.

Precracked reinforced concrete t-beams repaired in shear with prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer straps

The results of an experimental and numerical investigation involving unstrengthened reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams and precracked RC T-beams strengthened in shear with prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) straps are presented and discussed. The results provide insights into the influence of load history and beam depth on the structural behavior of both unstrengthened and strengthened beams. The strengthened beams exhibited capacity enhancements of 21.6 to 46% compared to the equivalent unstrengthened beams, demonstrating the potential effectiveness of the prestressed CFRP strap system. Nonlinear finite element (FE) predictions, which incorporated the load history, reproduced the observed experimental behavior but either underestimated or overestimated the post-cracking stiffness of the beams and strap strain at higher load levels. These limitations were attributed to the concrete shear models used in the FE analyses.

Assessment of fibre orientation in ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete and its effect on flexural strength

Fibre distribution and orientation in a series of round panel specimens of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was investigated using electrical resistivity measurements and confirmed by X-ray CT imaging. By pouring specimens in different ways, the orientation of steel fibres was influenced and the sensitivity of the electrical resistivity technique was investigated. The round panels were tested in flexure and the results are discussed in relation to the observed orientation of fibres in the panels. It was found that the fibres tended to align perpendicular to the direction of flow. As a result, panels poured from the centre were significantly stronger than panels poured by other methods because the alignment of fibres led to more fibres bridging the radial cracks formed during mechanical testing.

Influence of aggregate and curing regime on the mechanical properties of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)

A new generation of concrete, Ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) has been developed for its outstanding mechanical performance and shows a very promising future in construction applications. In this paper, several possibilities are examined for reducing the price of producing UHPFRC and for bringing UHPFRC away from solely precast applications and onto the construction site as an in situ material. Recycled glass cullet and two types of local natural sand were examined as replacement materials for the more expensive silica sand normally used to produce UHPFRC. In addition, curing of UHPFRC cubes and prisms at 20 degrees C and 90 degrees C has been investigated to determine differences in both mechanical and ductility.

Flexural performance of fibre reinforced concrete made with steel and synthetic fibres

The ductility of concrete made with commercially available steel and synthetic fibres has been investigated. Flexural stress–deflection relationships have been used to determine: flexural strength, flexural toughness, equivalent flexural strength, and equivalent flexural strength ratio. The flexural toughness of concrete was found to increase considerably when steel and synthetic fibres were used. However, equal dosages of different fibres did not result in specimens with the same flexural toughness. Flexural toughness differences of almost 35 J existed even at the same fibre dosage. This also resulted in considerable differences in the minimum required ground supported slab thickness.

Finite element modelling of FRP-to-concrete bond behaviour using the concrete damage plasticity theory combined with a plastic degradation model

The technique of externally bonding fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has been becoming popular worldwide for retrofitting existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. A major failure mode in such strengthened structures is the debonding of FRP from the concrete substrate. The bond behaviour between FRP and concrete thus plays a crucial role in these structures. The FRP-to-concrete bond behaviour has been extensively investigated experimentally, commonly using the pull-off test of FRP-to-concrete bonded joint. Comparatively, much less research has been concerned with the numerical simulation of this bond behaviour, chiefly due to difficulties in accurately modelling the complex behaviour of concrete. This paper proposes a robust finite element (FE) model for simulating the bond behaviour in the entire loading process in the pull-off test. A concrete damage plasticity model based on the plastic degradation theory is proposed to overcome the weakness of the elastic degradation theory which has been commonly adopted in previous studies. The model produces results in very close agreement with test data. © Tsinghua University Press, Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.

A technique for reducing strain concentrations in FRP wrapped concrete columns

Existing studies have shown conclusively that the measured fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) rupture strain in FRP wrapped concrete columns is usually significantly smaller than the rupture strain obtained from flat coupon tests. One of the main causes for this phenomenon is the existence of geometrical discontinuities at both ends of the FRP sheets. This study proposes a new strengthening method in which continuous FRP spiral wrapping is used to eliminate strain concentrations due to the geometrical discontinuities and thus increase the FRP rupture strain at column failure. The effect of the spiral angle of FRP on the FRP rupture strain in FRP wrapped specimens was experimentally investigated. The test results indicate that the spiral wrapping with a small angle with respect to the column circumference can significantly increase the strain efficiency of FRP and thus enhance the axial compression capacity of the strengthened cylinders.