Experimental investigation on optimal shear strengthening of RC beams using NSM GFRP bars

Several techniques have been developed for shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) members by using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. However, debonding of FRP retrofits from concrete substrate still deemed as a challenging concern in their application which needs to be scrutinized in details. As a result, this paper reports on the results of an experimental investigation on shear strengthening of RC beams using near surface mounted (NSM) FRP reinforcing bars. The main objective of the experimentation was increasing the efficiency of shear retrofits by precluding/postponing the premature debonding failure. The experimental program was comprised of six shear deficient RC beams. The test parameters include the FRP rebar spacing, inclination angle, and groove shape. Also, an innovative modification was introduced to the conventional NSM technique and its efficiency was evaluated by experimental observation and measurement. The results testified the efficiency of glass FRP (GFRP) rebars in increasing the shear strength of the test specimens retrofitted using conventional NSM technique. However, debonding of FRP bars impeded exploiting all retrofitting advantages and induced a premature shear failure. On the contrary, application of the proposed modified NSM (MNSM) technique was not only capable of preventing the premature debonding of FRP bars, but also could replace the failure mode of specimen from the brittle shear to a ductile flexural failure which is more desirable.