Strengthening of damaged concrete members by carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites

In this study, the behavior of reinforced concrete members that are repaired and/or strengthened by using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites is investigated experimentally. Totally ten nearly full size original specimens are tested under the effects of constant axial load and reversed cyclic flexure. Then, the damaged original specimens are repaired and nine of these specimens are strengthened by using CFRP composites in longitudinal and transverse directions. The repaired and strengthened specimens are subjected to similar loading pattern as the original specimens. The test results indicate that the investigated strengthening technique is effective on strength and deformability enhancement. Consequently, energy dissipation characteristics of the strengthened specimens also improve significantly.