Repair of Severely Damaged Reinforced Concrete Beams with High-Strength Cementitious Grout

Abstract

High-strength cementitious materials such as high-performance concrete are extensively used for retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The effectiveness of these materials is increased when mixed with steel fibers. A commonly used technique for strengthening and repair of RC beams consists of applying high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete jackets around the beam perimeter. This paper investigates the jacketing method for repairing severely damaged RC beams. Four 2 m (6 ft 63/4 in.) long rectangular RC beams, 200 × 300 mm (8 ×12 in.) were initially cast and loaded until failure based on three-point bending tests. The four beams were then repaired by thickening the sides of the damaged RC beams using a commercially available high-strength shrinkage grout with and without steel fibers. Strain and deformation were recorded in the damaged and repaired beams to compare structural performance. It is shown that the flexural strength of the repaired beams is increased and the crack pattern under loading is improved, proving that the proposed repair method can restore the resistance capacity of RC beams despite the degree of damage. A method for repair is proposed and an analytical investigation is also performed to understand the structural behavior of the repaired beams based on different thickening configurations.