Behaviors of Large-Rupture-Strain Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams Under Static and Impact Loads

• Main Authors: Zenghui Ye, Debo Zhao, Lili Sui, Zhenyu Huang, Xiaoqing Zhou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-11-01
• Series: Frontiers in Materials
• Subjects: dynamic response; large-rupture-strain fiber-reinforced polymer; drop-weight test; impact loading; strengthened reinforced concrete beam
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2020.578749/full

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures may be damaged seriously when subjected to impact loading, and it is necessary to strengthen existing structures to improve their impact resistance. Large-rupture-strain fiber-reinforced polymer (LRS-FRP) is a promising material to strengthen RC structures under impact because of its good deformation capacity. This article shows experimental studies on performance of LRS-FRP strengthened RC beams under static and impact loads. The effects of FRP types, loading rate, and the usage or nonusage of end-anchorages on the strengthening efficiency were investigated. The experiment demonstrates LRS-FRP laminate with end-anchorage (EA) to be an appropriate strengthening technique for RC beams under both static and impact loading. The beams strengthened with end-anchored LRS-FRP presented greater ductility than their carbon fiber-reinforced polymer counterpart under static loading, and the end-anchored LRS-FRP strengthening system reduced the maximum deflection and damage of strengthened beam under impact significantly. However, the end-anchorage was more susceptible to damage and failure when the loading rate increased from static to impact. Therefore, the end-anchorage and the end-anchorage-FRP connection should be designed with caution for impact condition.