Abstract
To precisely evaluate the retrofitting effectiveness of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) sheets on the impact response of reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams, a non-linear finite element model was developed to simulate the structural response of T-beams with CFRP under impact loads. The numerical model was firstly verified by comparing the numerical simulation results with the experimental data, i.e., impact force, reaction force, and mid-span displacement. The strengthening effect of CFRP was analyzed from the section damage evaluation. Then the impact force, mid-span displacement, and failure mode of CFRP-strengthened RC T-beams were studied in comparison with those of un-strengthened T-beams. In addition, the influence of the impact resistance of T-beams strengthened with FRP was investigated in terms of CFRP strengthening mode, CFRP strengthening sizes, CFRP layers and FRP material types. The numerical simulation results indicate that the overall stiffness of the T-beams was improved significantly due to external CFRP strips. Compared with the un-strengthened beam, the maximum mid-span displacement of the CFRP-strengthened beam was reduced by 7.9%. Additionally, the sectional damage factors of the whole span of the CFRP-strengthened beam were reduced to less than 0.3, indicating that the impact resistance of the T-beams was effectively enhanced.
Highlights
Reinforced concrete (RC) beams are important load-bearing components in building structures that might be subjected to unexpected impact loads
The results showed that the beams’ impact resistance could not be improved by increasing the thickness of Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) if they adopted a two-sided bonding reinforcement method
Limited work has been conducted on the impact resistance of T-shaped reinforced concrete beams, especially the strengthening effect of FRP on RC T-beams under impact loads
Summary
Reinforced concrete (RC) beams are important load-bearing components in building structures that might be subjected to unexpected impact loads. Meng et al [17] used the CSCM model in ANSYS/LS-DYNA to simulate the process of axial impact on concrete cylindrical specimens They [18,19] further optimized the model parameters, carried out numerical analysis on reinforced concrete beams under static load and impact load, and the axial impact resistance behavior of cylinder. Limited work has been conducted on the impact resistance of T-shaped reinforced concrete beams, especially the strengthening effect of FRP on RC T-beams under impact loads. In order to precisely evaluate the retrofitting effectiveness of the FRP on the impact response of RC T-beams, in this paper, a series of numerical studies are conducted aiming to study the dynamic behaviors of T-beams strengthened with CFRP patches under the impact loads. The effects of different influence factors (e.g., CFRP strengthening mode, CFRP strengthening sizes, CFRP layers and FRP material types) on the impact resistance of FRP-strengthened RC T-beams are comprehensively analyzed
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