Cracking behaviour and its effect on the deflection of patched-reinforced concrete beam under flexural loading

Abstract

Under the influence of aggressive environment, structural concrete could exhibit degradation in various forms. One of the symptoms of the degradation could be shown in the form of local delamination of concrete cover. Patching method could be a preference choice to repair this type of degradation to regain its structural performance and durability. This paper presents the structural behaviour of patched-reinforced concrete beam under flexural loading with particular interest on the use of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) mortar as patch repair material. The repair area is replicated in the tensile zone of the beam. The behaviour investigated in this study is the cracking evolution of the patched – reinforced concrete beam and its effect on the deflection. It is shown that the higher strength of the UPR-mortar leads to a reduction in the intensity of cracks compared to that of un-repaired (normal) reinforced concrete beam. The lesser cracks intensity is beneficial to restore the flexural stiffness of the beam.