In this study the efficiency of the use of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) for the strengthening of existing Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams has been investigated. Experimental work has been conducted to determine UHPFRC material properties. Dog-bone shaped specimens have been tested under direct tensile loading, and standard cubes have been tested in compression. These results have been used for the development of a numerical model using Finite Element Method. The reliability of the numerical model has been validated using further experimental results of UHPFRC layers tested under flexural loading. Further numerical study has been conducted on full-scale beams strengthened with UHPFRC layers and jackets, and these results were compared to respective results of beams strengthened with conventional RC layers and with combination of UHPFRC and steel reinforcing bars. Superior performance was observed for strengthened beams with UHPFRC three side jackets, and the efficiency of this technique was highlighted by comparisons with other strengthening techniques.

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Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete is a material which is becoming increasingly popular in structural applications, mainly due to its superior mechanical characteristics. The mechanical properties of this material are of high importance and the development of non-destructive techniques is vital for the evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of existing structures. In the current study, Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete with different amounts of steel fibres has been examined. Compressive and tensile tests have been conducted alongside with Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity and Rebound Hammer measurements and the development of appropriate empirical non-destructive models has been examined.

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