Shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams using fibre reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

Since fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are superior to traditional steel reinforcements, they are widely used in advanced concrete technology. By using a combination of fibres and FRP strengthening techniques, RC beams can have increased strength and ductility. The kind, arrangement, composition, and strengthening method of the fibres in FRP composites in reinforced concrete beams regulate their total strength. Shear deficient specimens were strengthened by using glass and basalt fibre wrapping. Twelve beams were fabricated and tested under the static and cyclic loads. The main objective of the study is to obtain compressive and flexural behaviour from the shear deficient RC beams. This study evaluates the performance of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams enhanced in shear using basalt fibre and glass fibre. After curing the beams were wrapped with fibres other than the conventional. All the 12 beams were tested under the same loading condition with the four point loading. The shear deficient RC beams do not have required shear reinforcement and hence they fail by shear first. FRP strengthening in the shear zones can increase the shear strength of the beams and hence these strengthened beams fail in flexure first or sometimes as flexure-shear failure.