Anchorage of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer on Side Faces of Reinforced Concrete Beams to Provide Continuity

Abstract

In many reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures designed before issues related to progressive collapse became important, it was common to have continuous negative reinforcement through a column but to have discontinuous positive reinforcement. To provide toughness to such frames under extreme loading, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials can be installed on the side faces of an RC beam parallel to discontinuous longitudinal reinforcement. The CFRP sheets provide continuity and improve integrity. However, CFRP sheets cannot develop their tensile capacity because they will delaminate from the concrete. In this study, the use of anchorage techniques for CFRP materials on the side faces of RC beams was experimentally investigated. Ten RC beams were tested to examine the effectiveness of the anchorage methods using CFRP anchors and/or U-wraps. The test results show that the tensile strength of CFRP sheets was realized if they were anchored by a combination of CFRP U-wraps and anchors.