Repairing of Reactive Powder Concrete T-Beams Containing Web Opening by CFRP Strips

Abstract

In modern buildings, transverse openings are often used beams for the purpose of supplying and service pipes. Due to the presence of the openings in the concrete beams lead to the formation of cracks around the openings due to the stresses concentration in a small area above and below of the opening. The repairing, maintenance, and upgrading of structural members, are maybe one of the most pivotal problems in civil engineering applications. In this research, an experimental work is conducted to study the behavior of the reinforced RPC T-beams that containing openings and repair this beams using CFRP strips. The Experimental program of the present study includes two parts, the first part includes testing of seven reinforced reactive powder concrete RPC T-beams, which casted and tested, one beam is without opening as a reference beam and the rest, were provided with an opening. and these beams are divided into two groups. The first group was used to study the effect of the openings shape (circular and square) and the second group was used to study the effect of the openings locations, which consists three locations (Lc/2, Lc/3 and Lc/4). These are measured from the support center to the openings center. While the second part including a repaired all beams in the first part the using carbon fiber polymer. The test results indicated that the presence of openings in the beams web caused a reduction in the reinforced RPC T-beams ultimate load carrying capacity with about (10-55)%, Also lead to increasing in deflection compared to control beam before repairing at same loading. Studying the shape effect showed that the beams with square openings have average ultimate load carrying capacity lower by 36% compared with the control beams. While beams with containing circular openings have average ultimate load carrying capacity lower 29%. From the test results, it could be concluded that the presence of the openings in the shear region led to a decrease in ultimate load carrying capacity a about 38% to 49% for opening of opening at (Lc/3 and Lc/4) respectively. While the presence of openings in the flexural region led to a decrease in the ultimate load carrying capacity rate of 11%. Related to the repairing study part it was found that the average ultimate load carrying capacity for repairing beams was 103% compared with the not repaired beams.