Abstract

The bends under sagging moments in a Reinforced Concrete Stair Beam (RCSB) in staircases may be damaged because of improper detailing design or construction; therefore, they need to be strengthened or repaired. The structural behavior of strengthened RCSBs has not been investigated adequately. This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural strengthening of RCSBs with bends under sagging moments. Tests on RCSBs were undertaken that were strengthened by using either the Near-Surface Mounted Steel Bars (NSMSBs) or the Externally Bonded Steel Plates (EBSPs). Three steel materials were employed, including Steel Bars (SBs), Steel Sheets (SSs) and Stainless-Steel Plates (SSPs). The test program and outcomes are described in detail of six full-scale strengthened RCSBs loaded up to collapse. A finite element model is developed employing ABAQUS to simulate the performance of the tested RCSBs. It is found that the utilized strengthening techniques effectively enhance both the cracking and ultimate loads in addition to the energy absorption capacity. The agreement between simulations and experiment is good, suggesting that the model of nonlinear finite element analysis can be used with confidence to perform further parametric instigations.

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