Numerical Simulation Reinforcement of RC T-Beam with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)

Abstract

Many infrastructures damaged are due to environmental, inadequate maintenance, and natural disaster like an earthquake. Some structures in Indonesia were built using the old code design, which was unsafe when compared to the new code. The structure needs to be strengthened to increase the safety level and extend its service period. One solution to the problem is to enhance the structure using synthetic wraps or Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymeric (CFRP). This research simulates the reinforced concrete T-beam with CFRP by numerical analysis following the predecessor experimental study. The numerical analysis of reinforced T-beam with CFRP was modeled using finite element method. The concrete damage plasticity model for the concrete material was adopted to idealize the concrete material. Also, the interaction property between the CFRP and concrete to be idealized as a perfect bond that is constraint-tie and Hanshin damage for CFRP properties that applied as a composite layup. The numerical analysis results achieve a good agreement with the predecessor's experiments in the term load–displacement curve, bending moment capacity, and failure mode. Although the finite element generated more less similar results with the experiment, the T-beam's failure mode was slightly different in experimental compared with the finite element results. The possible reason might be the experimental study has a failure mode of debonding between interface concrete and CFRP. However, the result of the finite element has a similar failure mode with a normal specimen with a positive post-yield stiffness. In future work, the effect of bond interaction between the CFRP and concrete need to be idealized as contact, or epoxy should be modeled between the CFRP and the concrete.