Retrofitting Methods for Shear Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using CFRP

Due to the ageing of infrastructures, there is a need for repair and rehabilitation of the structures at later stages. The usage of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer for strengthening is one such practice that has become common in the Indian scenario. This paper specifically discusses the comparison of different application methods of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers for enhancing the shear capacity of the reinforced concrete beams. Near surface mounted carbon fiber-reinforced polymer strips, externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer strips and externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer strips with U–wrap are the methods adopted for strengthening reinforced concrete beams for shear. Three-point loading flexure tests were conducted on the strengthened beams, and it was found that the near surface mounted method exhibited a 28.5% increase in the shear capacity of the beam. In contrast, the externally bonded method exhibited an 18.5% increase, and externally bonded with U–wrap exhibited a 142% increase in the shear capacity of the beam compared to the control beam.