The Feasibility of Modified Magnesia-Phosphate Cement as a Heat Resistant Adhesive for Strengthening Concrete with Carbon Sheets

External bonding of carbon fiber sheets has become a popular technique for strengthening concrete structures all over the world. Epoxy adhesive, which is used to bond the carbon fiber sheets and concrete, deteriorates rapidly when being exposed to high temperatures. This paper presents a high-temperature-resistant modified magnesia-phosphate cement (MPC) with the compressive strength that does not decrease at the temperature of 600 °C. The bond properties of both the modified MPC and the epoxy adhesive between externally bonded carbon fiber sheets and concrete were evaluated by using a double-shear test method after exposure to elevating temperatures from 105 °C to 500 °C. The results showed that the bond strength of the modified MPC at room temperature (RT) is much higher than that of the epoxy resin. Full carbonation with almost 0 MPa was detected for the epoxy sample after the exposure to 300 °C, while only 40% reduction of bond strength was tested for the modified MPC sample. Although the modified MPC specimens failed through interlaminar slip of fiber strips instead of complete debonding, the MPC specimens performed higher bond strength than epoxy resin at ambient temperature, and retained much higher bond strength at elevated temperatures. It could be concluded that it is feasible to strengthen concrete structural members with externally bonded carbon fiber sheets using the modified MPC instead of epoxy adhesive. Furthermore, the use of the modified MPC as the binder between carbon fiber sheets and concrete can be less expensive and an ecologically friendly alternative.