Effect of FRP strengthening on the behavior of shear walls with opening

Abstract

In recent decades, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) strengthening of concrete members is known as a unanimously acceptable method. An example of a proper application of this method is strengthening of shear walls with openings using FRP strips around them, especially at corners with high stress concentration, where FRP strips keep cracks closed and prevent brittle shear failure to the edges. The efficiency of FRP strengthening on shear walls and around the openings was examined in the current study using finite element (FE) software (ABAQUS). Available laboratory test results on concrete shear walls under lateral loads were used to calibrate the software and verify its application. Then, boundaries of the openings in the wall strengthened with FRP composites in different configurations and nonlinearly were analysed. The results showed considerable effectiveness of FRP strengthening on the overall behaviour of the walls with opening.© 2011 Tsinghua University Press, Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg .