Mechanically Fastened FRP Strengthening of Large Scale RC Bridge T Beams

Abstract

A new method has been developed for strengthening reinforced concrete beams for flexure which uses multiple mechanical fasteners to attach a fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) strip to the member. This study investigates the behavior of the method on full scale concrete T beams of three different steel reinforcement levels. The beams were strengthened without surface preparation, and the strips were attached with only four man-hours of labor per beam. The strengthened beams resulted in increases of up to 11.7 % in the yield moment and up to 27.2 % in the moment capacity at a deflection of L/135. The beams exhibited large amounts of ductility, before failure.