Title:
Flexural Behavior of Preloaded Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Prestressed Carbon Textile-Reinforced Concrete Plates
Author(s):
Shujun Zhou, Yunxing Du, Yanqiu Li, Ziwei Li, and Xionggang Shi
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
59-70
Keywords:
flexural behavior; preloaded reinforced concrete (RC) beam; prestressed carbon textile-reinforced concrete (CTRC) plates; strengthening; ultimate bending moment calculation
DOI:
10.14359/51749315
Date:
5/1/2026
Abstract:
In practical engineering, beams requiring strengthening are usually preloaded, and research on their strengthening techniques directly affects structural safety and cost-effectiveness. This study investigated flexural behavior of preloaded reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with prestressed carbon textile-reinforced concrete (CTRC) plates using four-point bending tests. Parameters included preload levels and whether to unload during strengthening. Results showed that strengthening with prestressed CTRC plates effectively improved the service moment, ultimate bending moment, and crack resistance, and preload level and whether to unload during strengthening had no significant effect on the strengthening effect. All strengthened beams failed by CTRC plate rupture, with post-failure moments reducing to the unstrengthened beam’s ultimate moment level. Pre-cracking flexural stiffness decreased with increasing preload, and the stiffness after cracking was independent of the preload and strengthening method. Finally, the ultimate bending moments were evaluated using four current codes, with the Chinese code exhibiting the highest prediction accuracy.
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