Shear Behaviour of RC Beams Strengthened with FRP Materials

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a research work aimed at examining the use of externally bonded of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets, consisting of carbon FRP (CFRP) and glass FRP (GFRP), as a strengthening solution to upgrade the shear capacities of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. A total of 7 RC beams were constructed and tested under four-point bending, i.e. two reference beams with different concrete strength and without any FRP sheets, one beam reinforced by GFRP sheets and four beams reinforced by CFRP sheets. Externally bonded FRP shear strengthening was found very effective in upgrading the shear strength of the beams strengthened. The shear strengths of RC beams strengthened were improved greatly by FRP sheets, and the strength gain caused by the FRP sheets was in the range of 31-74%. Test results also show that the more ductile behaviour and higher ultimate strength are obtained for the beams with FRP shear strengthening by using high concrete strength.