Mechanical performance of composite-strengthened concrete structures

The interest of using fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) materials in rehabilitating damaged concrete structures respectively has been increased rapidly in recent years. In this paper, the structural behaviours of the glass-fibre composite strengthened concrete structures subjected to uniaxial compression and three point bending tests are discussed through experimental studies. Two types of concrete structure are used in present study, they are concrete cylinder and rectangular concrete beam. Discussion on the environmental effects of composite strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) structures is also addressed. Experimental results show that the use of glass-fibre composite wrap can increase the load carrying capacity of the plain concrete cylinders with and without notch formation. The flexural load capacity of the concrete beam increases to more than 50% by bonding 3 layers of glass-fibre composite laminate on the beam tension surface. Direct hand lay up method gives better strengthening characteristic in term of the ultimate flexural load compared with pre-cured plate bonding technique. The flexural strengths of composite strengthened IRC beams submerged into different chemicals solution for six months are increased compared with the RC beams without strengthening. The strength of the concrete structure is seriously attacked by strong acids. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.