Experimental investigation of prismatic and non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams

Non-prismatic beams reduce self-weight and are considered an essential requirement in architectural designs. This research includes an experimental study to understand the behavior of prismatic and non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams with strengthening by CFRP under two static loads. The experimental study include nine specimens with simply supported. Two were prismatic control beams, four non-prismatic beams with variable arch lengths (1250,940,740, and 610 mm), and three specimens with an arch length of 610 mm that were strengthened with different techniques using CFRP sheets. The size of concrete for all non-prismatic specimens is constant. The obtained results proved that the strengthened specimens contributed to an increase in the ultimate load capacity by 25.31% and reduced the deflection by 31.51% compared to a similar specimen without strengthening. The strengthening contributed to reducing the crack width and increasing the stiffness and toughness. The strengthening specimens contributed to reduced concrete and steel strains compared to similar specimens without strengthening. This method of strengthening is suitable for important buildings such as museums, mosques, and historic buildings, as it preserves the architectural characteristics of the non-prismatic arched beams.