Flexural Strength of RC Beams Strengthened with Prestressed CFRP Sheets – Part II

A prototype mechanical device was developed for prestressing carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. To investigate the feasibility of using this device, seven reinforced concrete (RC) beams were strengthened with prestressed CFRP sheets. In an accompanying paper, the main features and the application procedures for this mechanical device are discussed. In this paper, theoretical and experimental results related to prestressing levels that can lead to debonding of the sheets immediately after transfer and during flexural testing are discussed together with the investigation on the increase in the flexural capacity that results from prestressing and anchoring the CFRP sheets at the beam ends with U-wraps.