Strengthening of Corrosion-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Beams with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Laminates

Problem statement: This study showed the results of an experimental investigation on the strengthening of corrosion damaged reinforced concrete beams with unidirectional cloth glass fiber reinforced polymer (UDCGFRP) laminates. Approach: All the beam specimens 150×250×3000 mm were cast and tested for the present investigation. One beam specimen was neither corroded nor strengthened to serve as a reference. Two beams were corroded to serve as a corroded control. A reinforcement mass loss of approximately 10 and 25% were used to define medium and severe degrees of corrosion. The remaining two beams corroded and strengthened with GFRP. Results: The test parameters included first crack load, first crack deflection, yield load, yield deflection, service load, service deflection, ultimate load and ultimate deflection. Based on the results it was found that GFRP Laminates had beneficial effects even at the corrosion-damaged stage. Conclusion/Recommendations: The UDCGFRP laminated beams showed distinct enhancement in ultimate strength and ductility by 72.37 and 49.49% respectively.