(An) experimental study on the behavior of RC beams externally strengthened in shear using CFRP sheets

Abstract

An experimental study to investigate the structural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets was presented. A four-point bending test on a total of fourteen simply supported RC beams was carried out. A beam was substantially deficient in shear strength (control beam), and thirteen others were strengthened with various configurations of CFRP sheets. The primary parameters investigated were the direction of fiber alignment, strengthening length and strengthening configuration of CFRP sheets. The performance of RC beams strengthened in shear with various configurations of CFRP sheets was compared with that of the control beam and each other. All tested RC beams were failed in shear. It was found from the test that CFRP sheet was effective in strengthening RC beams in shear and Angle of diagonal crack of RC beams strengthened in shear using CFRP sheets must be necessarily considered when design approach is proposed. Two types of failure modes were observed in this experiment on the specimens strengthened in shear using CFRP sheets and these include shear failure with CFRP rupture, shear failure due to debonding of CFRP sheet. Further, it was supposed that The CFRP sheets would be used more effectively as a shear reinforcement once debonding between CFRP sheets and concrete surface can be prevented.