Alternative bonding techniques to delay end debonding of CFRP strengthened reinforced concrete beams

The use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) as external reinforcement for concrete structures is growing rapidly. This is due to many advantages offered by these materials compared to conventional steel reinforcements such as high strength to weight ratio, good fatigue properties, noncorroding characteristics, high degree of chemical inertness, controllable thermal expansion, damping characteristics and simplicity of application. Rehabilitation and strengthening of existing concrete structures can be done up to a significant level with correctly applied CFRP sheets. However CFRP strengthening systems subject to end de-bonding failure before reaching its full capacity. This study was focused on investigation of alternative bonding techniques to enhance strength gain by delaying premature failure of composite laminate. A total of six specimens were tested to determine the flexural capacity using three point bending test. The specimens were prepared with three different CFRP sheet arrangements. This paper presents the test program, results and conclusions