RC members with a flexural-strengthening layer of CFRP textile-reinforced concrete under monotonic and cyclic long-term loading

Abstract

Strengthening of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures by means of externally applied fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement was and still is an important research topic. CFRP reinforcement is particularly suitable for infrastructure projects where the actual loads have exceeded the predictions made in the past decades and high chloride input due to de-icing salts is also present. This article presents experimental and theoretical investigations on the structural behavior of RC members strengthened with an externally applied CFRP textile-reinforced concrete layer under monotonic and cyclic long-term loading. A precise analysis of the cross-sectional behavior and the calculation parameters to determine deflections and load-bearing capacities of the strengthened RC members is conducted. It is shown that the load-bearing capacity is not influenced by the preceding monotonic or cyclic long-term loading and despite the many influencing factors, a good agreement between the calculations and experimental data can be achieved.