ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0001-9503-7209

Graduation Semester and Year

2021

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

NUR YAZDANI

Abstract

Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures with time is a common phenomenon, which often leads to reduction in the load carrying capacity. To meet the coding requirements, strengthening of these structures is of utmost importance. Composite materials, such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP), have shown effective results in external strengthening of these structures. However, premature delamination of CFRPs can decrease their efficiency. Recently, pre-saturated CFRP (PS-CFRP), a new type of CFRP pre-impregnated with epoxy resin, was introduced. Previous research has shown that PS-CFRP has shown improved results as compared to regular CFRP (R-CFRP) for strengthening beams and columns. However, no research has been conducted on flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) two-way slabs using PS-CFRP. The purpose of this study is to evaluate external strengthening of two-way slabs using R-CFRP and PS-CFRP and to compare the results of the two methods. To facilitate this process, two full-scale reinforced concrete two-way slabs were cast and externally retrofitted. These slabs were then tested until failure under concentrated loading. A numerical model was also developed on ABAQUS to study the behavior of CFRP bonded to concrete slabs based on a previous study. The results showed that strengthening the RC two-way slabs using PS-CFRP is more effective than using R-CFRP. The ultimate load capacity of the slab strengthened with PS-CFRP was 14.29% higher than the slab strengthened by R-CFRP. The slab strengthened using PS-CFRP also demonstrated more ductile behavior compared to R-CFRP. The numerical model developed in this current study validated the experimental results.

Keywords

CFRP, Pre-saturated CFRP, Regular CFRP, Two-way slabs, Flexural strengthening, Delamination

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Download

Share

COinS