CFRP for strengthening and repairing reinforced concrete: a review

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is an emerging reinforcement in concrete materials and possesses many attractive mechanical and physical characteristics. Amongst other mechanical properties, CFRP has good compressive, flexural and shear strengths, and its usage improved ductility and suitability for preventing cracks. Thus, the application of CFRP is increasing in the construction industry. This review work highlights the effect of CFRP reinforcement on mechanical properties of reinforced concrete (RC) and self-compacting concrete (SCC) members. The scope of this review work is to highlight the effect on strengthening and repairing of RC members and SCC reinforced with CFRP material. A variety of research work has been reviewed on the use of CFRP in RC members, but the data remain limited yet. Thus, the critical review has been conducted from last 2-decades research on CFRP reinforcement in RC and SCC, and almost 60 researches and review articles have been involved in this discussion. The reviewed articles indicated that CFRP reinforcement can be suitable for the strength enhancement of RC members considering the strength-to-weight ratio despite its failure to produce more strength than steel reinforcement. Furthermore, CFRP is a good choice for repairing RC members due to its easy installation and other characteristic values. Therefore, CFRP reinforcement, which offers resistance to cracking, corrosion and temperature, is the best choice for concrete production.