Experimental Study of RC Rectangular Liquid Containing Structures Retrofitted with GFRP Composites

The continual functioning of Liquid Containing Structures “LCS” is necessary for the well being of a society. These structures are designed based on serviceability criteria such as cracking that leads to leakage. Cracks form in liquid containing structures (LCS) for different reasons such as restrained thermal and shrinkage deformations, applied external loads such as earthquake loads, etc. These cracks can create exposure condition to initiate the corrosion process in reinforcement. The effectiveness of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites in recovering the structural strength of damaged members is widely recognized by engineers. However, the effectiveness on the use of GFRP composites as a protecting layer to prevent the passage of liquid through the cracks has not yet been reported in the literature. This concept inspires the main purpose of the investigation in this experimental study. Cracked reinforced concrete specimens subjected to different conditions of loading such as direct tension and cyclic flexure are repaired externally using GFRP sheets. The specimens are then subjected to hydrostatic pressure using a water pressure chamber at the crack location. This study shows that the application of GFRP composites for crack remediation in liquid containing structures could be very effective under monotonic loading. However, the effectiveness under cyclic flexure especially under higher load levels is questionable.