Experiments on shear behavior of reinforced concrete continuous beams strengthened by C-FRCM

The dual-function retrofitting system that uses the carbon-fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (C-FRCM) as both the anode of impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system and the structural strengthening (SS) material, that is, an ICCP-SS system, is investigated. The experimental program mainly focused on the shear behavior of C-FRCM strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) continuous beam under the dual-function retrofitting system. The influence of anode polarization on the shear strengthening of RC continuous beams is analyzed. Shear tests were conducted on a total of 14 corroded RC continuous beams to investigate the influence of key parameters, including anode polarization degree of prefabricated C-FRCM plate, layer of carbon fiber mesh and side-wrapping. The failure modes, shear capacities, and load-deflection curves of the shear-strengthened RC continuous beams are reported. Based on the test results, the applicability of relevant design codes was evaluated and found to provide rather conservative predictions for the shear capacity of the examined C-FRCM strengthened RC continuous beams.