Strengthening of T section RC beams in shear using CFRP

Strengthening reinforced concrete RC beams in shear using Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) has been found to significantly enhance the shear capacity of existing reinforced concrete beams. In previous studies, the use of steel plates bonded externally to RC beams was found to improve the shear performance of these beams. Most of the previous work was conducted on RC beams having rectangular sections. The main objective of this paper is to gain a better understanding and enhance the experimental database of shear behavior of RC T-beams strengthened with Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) system. The present study encompasses some of the important parameters such as the EBR direction of fiber alignment, and strengthening materials made of carbon fiber sheets, steel plates or steel bars for shear strengthening. The contribution of the EBR to the shear capacity of the T beams was computed using three design codes and compared with the experimental output. A series of RC T-beams were experimentally tested where the CFRP and steel strips were carefully aligned and spaced. A reference T beam and a rectangular RC beam were tested as well to explore the effect of the internal shear reinforcement and the existence of the flange on the shear capacity of the beam.