Repair of concrete elements using CFRP: Parametrical study and evaluation of dynamic properties

Abstract

As is well known, repair rehabilitation and strengthening of old concrete or seismically vulnerable structures is a technique that is used very often in order to extend the operational life of buildings and concrete structures. Such techniques are usually based on traditional, often inefficient techniques and on conventional materials, which may soon exhibit new durability problems. For structural upgrading, reinforced concrete jacketing and surface-bonded steel plates are mostly used. However, during the last decades high-performance advanced composites of the type routinely used in aerospace, such as carbon fibre reinforced plastics, are entering the stage, despite their much higher material costs. In the present work different methods of repairing, using CFRP laminates, of a concrete beam having a center crack are discussed analytically. The stresses and the deformations calculated are analytically discussed and the different repairing methods are evaluated systematically. Problems concerning the dynamic characteristics of the repaired structures are also presented, and a new approach for the repair strategy is introduced.