Flexural Performance of Extremely Damaged Reinforced Concrete Beams after SRP Repair

This paper presents the effectiveness of steel reinforced polymer (SRP) in restoring the flexural capacity compromised by damage in the main steel reinforcement. In this study, six full-scale reinforced concrete (RC) beams were designed to simulate the impact damage from overheight vehicles collision. The simulation was represented by concrete beams reinforced with un-continuous reinforcement (splice in maximum moment region) and tested until failed due to splice. The damaged concrete was repaired, and the SRP system (longitudinal soffit laminates and transverse U-wraps) was applied to restore the original moment capacity. All beams were 10 ft (3.0 m) in length, 18 in. (457 mm) in depth, and 12 in. (305 mm) in width. Different repairing configurations were investigated. The studied variables were the provided laminate area and the amount and distribution of U-wraps. The ultimate load capacity, deflection, and mode of failure were recorded during testing. The test results were compared to beam results with continuous reinforcement. It was concluded that the repairing beams with the SRP system can restore the damaged beams to a capacity similar to that of reinforced concrete (RC) beam with continuous reinforcement.