FRP strengthening of RC beams with corroded steel reinforcement

Abstract

The thesis mainly focuses on the strengthening of the corroded reinforced concrete structure by studying the background of corrosion from its grassroots level. As we know, the corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the most common problems existing in RC structures during the service life. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is a type of composite material characterized by superior strength, light-weight, and high resistance to corrosion. The corrosion damage has significant effects on the strength and deformability of the reinforcement. It also introduces longitudinal cracks in the surrounding concrete due to the volume expansion of the corroded reinforcement. Therefore, the strengthening activity without considering the critical corrosion damage in the RC structures might not achieve the improvements as expected. Usage of FRP composite material to retrofit to strengthen the RC structure has been a vastly studied issue for the past few decades. Nevertheless, most of the research so far is limited to the FRP strengthening of RC members without considering the effects of corrosion damage on the design and application of the strengthening scheme. This study gives an elaborative concept of the effect of corroded reinforcement on the structural behavior of degraded RC beams concerning serviceability, load-carrying capacity, and structural safety, summarize and review the traditional strengthening solutions for corroded RC members mainly concerned with the ultimate load-carrying capacity and ductility of the corroded beam. Detailed literature review of the strengthening solutions of corroded RC beams using FRP composites by comparing various aspects of strengthening like the levels of corrosion, the requirement of patch repair work before strengthening, and how various FRP composites exhibit their maximum strengthening by studying the failure modes of the beam loaded until failure. With an outcome of deep understanding of the behavior of corroded RC structures and knowledge from the review of previous works of the state of art in strengthening methods using FRP composites. This review work could be used as a key for future researchers to carry out their experimental tests using FRP