Behavior of reinforced concrete beams pre-cracked and repaired by composite materials under static loading

Abstract

This work constitutes a contribution to the analysis of the behavior of beams repaired by composite materials. To analyze the overall behavior and failure modes of the beams, an experimental study of nine reinforced concrete beams, pre-cracked and then repaired by composite materials was conducted. Six beams were pre-cracked and repaired in the tensioned part (bending repair) and in the other two beams on the tensioned and lateral parts with strips in the shape of U (shear repair). A comparative study was made between the ultimate moments measured experimentally and those calculated by the theoretical models. Compared to the control beam, the resistance gain for the beams repaired in bending is 50% to 90%, while that of beams repaired in shear is from 120% to177 %. The beams repaired in shear exhibit a ductile rupture in bending. However, the beams repaired in bending were failed by the lift-off of composite or by failure of concrete cover layer (except for beams repaired by fiber glass). BAEL99, EC2-04 and ACI318-08 models give the best prediction of the ultimate moments with a mean value of 1.16 for the ratio of MExp./Mtheor. and a mean standard deviation of 0.33.