Shear strengthening of RC deep beams using glass chopped strand mat (GCSM) composite

This paper presents an easy and effective technique for shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams using the glass chopped strand mat (GCSM) composite. Based on the previous research, the RC deep beams may fail because of the de-bonding of the GCSM composite from the concrete surface. To prevent this de-bonding failure and to use the GCSM composite to its full potential, two different anchoring systems were investigated and proposed. A total of twenty RC deep beams were tested to failure subjected to one-point and two-point loading systems. The effects of several important parameters, such as GCSM composite layer, strengthening configuration, anchoring system, loading system, and concrete strength, on the ultimate loading capacity and failure modes of the RC deep beams were investigated. The experimental results revealed that the GCSM composite enhanced the ductility and the ultimate loading capacity of the RC deep beams. To confirm the experimental findings, finite element analysis (FEA) of the RC deep beams strengthened with the GCSM composite was also carried out employing the FEA software VecTor2. The FEA results were found to be in good agreement with experimental results for the RC deep beams with and without strengthening.