Numerical-experimental studies of reinforced concrete beams reinforced with carbon fiber

ABSTRACT

Eventually, some buildings must be restored or their structural capacity increased. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) are the most indicated as structural reinforcement due to their high mechanical performance with high Young’s modulus, resistance to fatigue and low density. This work aimed at the efficiency of composite materials of CFRP as a structural reinforcement in concrete beams. The mechanical behavior is studied by means of experimental tests and numerical simulations. Steel bars and stirrups were designed with insufficient resistance to shear efforts. In reference beams, i.e. without CFRP reinforcement, shear cracks appear initially, but then the beams failed in flexure. The CFRP reinforcement were designed to increase shear capacity. Thus, shear cracks do not appear and the beams failed in flexure. The maximum load values did not increase significantly. Only one CFRP strip detached during the tests, indicating a good efficiency of the adhesive used. Numerical simulations were performed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in ANSYS 18.1 software. The numerical and experimental results are in good agreement.

Keywords
Structural reinforcement; Carbon fiber; Experimental; Numerical simulation