An Experimental Study on Shear and Flexural Strengthening of Concrete Beams Using GFRP Composites

TL;DR

This study investigates the effectiveness of GFRP composites in enhancing the shear and flexural strength of concrete beams through experimental testing, demonstrating significant strength improvements with proper application.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence on how GFRP sheets improve concrete beam strength, emphasizing proper application and bracing for optimal results.

Findings

GFRP sheets significantly increase shear and flexural strength.

Proper bracing enhances the effectiveness of GFRP strengthening.

Deformation on concrete surface correlates with GFRP sheet deformation.

Abstract

Maintaining and restoring buildings has nowadays gained special importance due to its high cost. Various different methods have been presented regarding this matter due to the above-mentioned reason and also the ever-growing demand for the engineers and the building-industry specialists for strengthening, restoring, and improving the concrete structures. The effect of FRP sheets on shear and flexural strengthening of simple concrete beams has been examined in this research. Four concrete beams containing concrete were constructed with a similar cross section and length and a common resistance level. They underwent the two-point flexural test and their exploitation conditions were studied. The results showed that if the FRP sheets are used appropriately and with proper bracing in strengthening the concrete beam samples, there will be a significant increase in their shear and flexural strength. Moreover, it was observed that relative deformation measured on the concrete surface and the GFRP sheet is proportional.