Effect of slitting of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic strip on flexural properties of reinforced concrete

Abstract In this study, reinforced concrete was manufactured by attaching a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) strips to the surface of the concrete. Strips with the same total area were slitted into one, two, three, four, and six pieces and attached to the upper, lower, and side parts of the concrete. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of the reinforced concrete were investigated. As the number of slits in the strip increased, for the upper reinforcement, the flexural strength gradually increased from 7.88 MPa to 11.21 MPa; for the lower reinforcement, the flexural strength increased significantly from 7.88 MPa to 26.48 MPa and then gradually increased to 33.90 MPa; and for the side reinforcement, the flexural strength increased from 7.12 MPa to 13.96 MPa and then gradually decreased. In the adhesive fracture toughness test, the fracture toughness energy significantly increased from 142.38 J m⁻² to 516.63 J m⁻² as the contact area between the adhesive and the strip increased. Therefore, in reinforcing concrete using a CFRP strip, it was confirmed that the reinforcement effect was enhanced when the strip was slit and then attached.