BEHAVIOR OF CORRODED RC BEAMS WITHOUT STIRRUPS REPAIRED WITH CFRP SHEETS

Abstract

In reinforced concrete structures located in hot and humid areas, steel reinforcement is generally vulnerable to deterioration due to corrosion. Corrosion of reinforcement in many cases is considered the main cause of concrete structures deterioration, which in turn requires large budgets for repair and maintenance. This paper presents the experimental results of damaged/repaired reinforced concrete beams. The experimental program consisted of testing reinforced concrete rectangular beam specimen’s with/without shear reinforcement and exposed to accelerated corrosion of the longitudinal steel reinforcement on the tension side. Bonding external U-shaped CFRP sheets to restore the strength loss due to corrosion repaired corroded beams without shear reinforcement. The test results showed that corroded beams without stirrups failed in a brittle manner with drop in maximum deflection at failure of approximately 60% compared to the uncorroded beam. Corroded beams with stirrups lost some strength, but failed in ductile manner. Using externally bonded U-shaped CFRP sheets restored the ductility of corroded beams without stirrups and prevented bond failure at the steel concrete interface due to the absence of internal stirrups.