Shear strengthening of reinforced-concrete beams using advanced composite materials

Abstract

This Doctorate program focuses on the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams using fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) composites. Several research problems related to shear strengthening still linger and therefore require further research studies to be entirely solved. The main objective of this program is to experimentally and analytically study the FRP strengthening methods of full-scale RC T-section beams in shear. During this Ph.D. program major aspects related to shear strengthening of RC beams with fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) sheets and rods are investigated as follows: 1) Shear strengthening of RC beams with externally-bonded (EB) FRP-Influencing factors and conceptual debonding model: On the basis of this effort, a new design approach is proposed to calculate the shear contribution of the FRP considering the effect of the transverse steel (among other influencing parameters) on the FRP contribution in shear resistance. The proposed model shows the best correlation with experimental results in comparison with the current design codes and guidelines; 2) Performance of end-anchorage systems for RC beams strengthened in shear with epoxy-bonded FRP composites: The results of this study reveal that specimens retrofitted with EB FRP methods and properly designed end-anchorage systems can achieve a superior contribution to shear resistance compared to specimens strengthened using EB FRP with no anchorage and Near-Surface Mounted (NSM) rebar method; 3) Shear strengthening of RC beams with EB FRP- Effect of strip-width to strip-spacing ratio: An experimental and analytical investigation with emphasis on the effect of strip-width to strip-spacing ratio on the contribution of FRP (Vf) in shear strengthened of RC beams with EB FRP strips is carried out; and 4) Behaviour of RC beams strengthened in shear using embedded through-section (ETS) FRP rods method: A newly developed shear strengthening method is investigated Embedded through-section (ETS) FRP rod method is a promising method for strengthening RC beams in shear using FRP rods. In the ETS method, FRP rods are epoxy-bonded to predrilled holes through the cross section of the RC beams. The test results not only confirmed the feasibility of the ETS method, but also revealed that the performance of the beams strengthened using this method is significantly superior to that of the beams strengthened with EB FRP and NSM FRP methods.

Date	31 Jul 2012
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Omar Chaallal (Supervisor)