Shear strength of FRP-Externally strengthened High Strength RC T-Beams

This paper presents preliminary results of an extensive experimental program on the behavior of high-strength (HS) reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams strengthened with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets. The test program involves the fabrication and testing of 56 RC beams and many objectives to achieve. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of the number of CFRP layers on the shear strength of HS RC beams. To this end, three full-scale specimens were prepared and instrumented with displacement transducers and strain gauges: one control beam, one single-layer of CFRP sheets, and one double-layer of CFRP sheets. All beams were simply supported and subjected to a monotonically increasing load until failure. Preliminary results showed that in the absence of transverse steel reinforcements, the number of CFRP layers does not affect the ultimate strength of the HSC beams. (paper)