Title: Shear Strengthening Reinforced Concrete Beams with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer: Assessment of Influencing Parameters and Required Research

Author(s): Abdelhak Bousselham and Omar Chaallal

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 101

Issue: 2

Appears on pages(s): 219-227

Keywords: beam; polymer; reinforced concrete; shear; strength

DOI: 10.14359/13019

Date: 3/1/2004

Abstract:
This paper deals with the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite. Its objectives are to synthesize the findings of the research studies carried out thus far, and to examine and analyze the parameters that have the greatest influence on the shear behavior of RC members strengthened with externally bonded FRP. More than a hundred tests were considered in the synthesis. Several conclusions were drawn from this study. It was found that the parameters related to the properties of the FRP and to those of the shear steel reinforcement are not the only ones having an influence on the shear behavior of RC members strengthened with externally applied FRP. The shear span ratio a/d, the longitudinal steel reinforcement ratio, and the geometry of the member also have influence on the shear behavior of these members and deserve further investigation. In view of the interaction between the parameters, an experimental parametric study with close variable control is recommended. Experimental data, in particular, strains undergone by both the FRP and the internal shear steel reinforcement, are essential for understanding the resistance mechanisms involved.