Improving shear capacity of existing RC T-section beams using CFRP composites

This paper presents the shear performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with T-section. Different configurations of externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets were used to strengthen the specimens in shear. The experimental program consisted of six full-scale, simply supported beams. One beam was used as a bench mark and five beams were strengthened using different configurations of CFRP. The parameters investigated in this study included wrapping schemes, CFRP amount, 90 degrees/0 degrees ply combination, and CFRP end anchorage. The experimental results show that externally bonded CFRP can increase the shear capacity of the beam significantly. In addition, the results indicated that the most effective configuration was the U-wrap with end anchorage. Design algorithms in ACI code format as well as Eurocode format are proposed to predict the capacity of referred members. Results showed that the proposed design approach is conservative and acceptable. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.