The Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened for Shear with CFRP Fabric Wrapping

Abstract

Strengthening Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) fabric wrapping is a proactive approach to enhancing beams' structural capacity and resilience before they experience excessive loading or other stressors. Experimental and numerical studies have shown that using Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials to strengthen RC members in shear, flexure, and confinement for columns is an effective reinforcement method. This method offers numerous advantages over conventional techniques, such as increased load-carrying capacity, improved durability, rapid installation, and minimal additional weight. This experimental paper focuses on the CFRP strengthening of shear-deficient RC beams. Various configurations of fabric wrapping were tested, including 90° U-wrapping (WU1), strip wrapping (WS1), 45° U-wrapping (WU2), and strip wrapping (WS2). The test results regarding load-deflection behaviour, ultimate load-carrying capacity, and crack patterns are analyzed. The results show that the beam strengthened by 45° strip wrapping (WS2) increased the ultimate load-carrying capacity by 75% compared to the control beam. In contrast, WU1, WS1, and WU2 increased the load-carrying capacity by 40%, 45%, and 60%, respectively.