Abstract
This paper presents the results of both analytical and experimental study on the repair effectiveness of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets for RC beams with different levels of pre-repair damage severity. It highlights the effect of fixing CFRP sheets to damaged beams on the load capacity, mid-span deflection, the steel strain and the CFRP strain and failure modes. The analytical study was based on a Finite Element (FE) model of the beam using brick and embedded bar elements for the concrete and steel reinforcement, respectively. The CFRP sheets and adhesive interface were modelled using shell elements with orthotropic material properties and incorporating the ultimate adhesive strain obtained experimentally to define the limit for debonding. In order to validate the analytical model, the FE results were compared with the results obtained from laboratory tests conducted on a control beam and three other beams subjected to different damage loads prior to repair with CFRP sheets. The results obtained showed good agreement, and this study verified the adopted approach of modelling the adhesive interface between the RC beam and the CFRP sheets using the ultimate adhesive strains obtained experimentally.
Highlights
Most research on using FRP plate bonding for flexural strengthening was carried out in the last decade (Ritchie et al 1991; Saadatmanesh, Ehsani 1991; Triantafillou, Plevris 1992)
The section will present the influence of fixing Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets to the RC beams on the load capacity, the steel strain and the CFRP strain; and will highlight the effect of the pre-repair damage level on the load capacity of the repaired beams
This section will present the effect of fixing CFRP sheets to the beam on its stiffness and capacity with the aid of load against deflection curves, load against steel strain curves, the effect of the pre-repair damage load rate on the load against CFRP strain curves and the ultimate capacity rates
Summary
Most research on using FRP plate bonding for flexural strengthening was carried out in the last decade (Ritchie et al 1991; Saadatmanesh, Ehsani 1991; Triantafillou, Plevris 1992). There has been an explosive growth in the recent years, which resulted from the increasing global need for structural performance updating and retrofitting works. The strengthening and repair of RC structures has become increasingly important, especially in the last decade. Strengthening is usually needed to improve the performance of existing RC structures. Many RC structures are damaged mostly due to various forms of deterioration, like cracks or large deflections. These are affected by different factors, such as earthquakes, vibrations, corrosion of reinforced bars and environmental changes
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