Analytical study on reinforced concrete beams strengthened for flexure and shear with composite plates

The results of an analytical study on the behaviour of reinforced concrete T-beams retrofitted with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates for flexure and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) plates for shear are discussed in this paper. A test series comprising four 5 m long simply supported beams were tested under monotonic load to verify the analytical model. Particular emphasis was given to the performance of predicted model building upon discrete element analytical methodology incorporating the dual effects of flexure and shear in beams. The effects of curtailed longitudinal CFRP plates bonded to the soffit of test beams were also analysed to examine the prediction accuracy of the model. An important conclusion in this paper is that the predicted model can be used to accurately predict the behaviour of load versus displacement and FRP plate bond stresses.