Flexural behavior of RC beams externally reinforced with CFRP composites using various strategies

Abstract

Abstract The external composite material bonding is an effective and practical method for flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, providing a large opportunity to develop high-performance and cost-effective structures. Numerous uses exist for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials as RC-member strengthening methods. However, issues with bonding and de-bonding continue to be a barrier to this technique's accomplishment. In this research, the CFRP sheets were integrated as an external strengthening material to evaluate their contribution to the flexural performance and so determine how well the CFRP sheets are being used. The experimental work includes one control beam and ten RC beams with CFRP sheets as external strengthening. All beams have the same dimensions: a length of 1.7 m and a sectional area of 20 cm × 25 cm. Experimental tests were carried out with varying CFRP types, lengths, numbers, and arrangements. Each beam’s performance was evaluated in terms of failure mode, ultimate load capacity, ultimate deflection, and a load–deflection curve. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of CFRP strengthening by demonstrating a considerable improvement in the majority of the study variables. Furthermore, the CFRP strengthening offered an exterior crack-arresting mechanism.