The Influence of CFRP Anchorage on Achieving Sectional Flexural Capacity of Strengthened Concrete Beams

This research program is intended to verify the influence of using distributed external U-wrap CFRP anchorage to shift the failure mode from overall debonding to sectional flexural failure for concrete beams externally bonded with CFRP sheets. Premature cover delamination and FRP debonding are predominant failure modes in FRP flexural strengthening that may be delayed or prevented by using FRP anchorage. The present experimental study aims to comparatively prove that proper anchorage of flexural strengthening is anticipated to yield a classical flexural failure by FRP rupture or concrete crushing. Once the cohesion of concrete and/or the adhesion with the FRP is exhausted, the U-wraps are engaged to provide anchorage to the flexural FRP through shear friction. Accordingly, three identical T beams and three identical rectangular beams were designed and constructed to examine the capacity improvement by preventing premature debonding failure. The first specimen in each series was tested as a control beam. The second specimen in each series was strengthened using five layers of flexural CFRP in order to admit a debonding failure. The third specimen in each series was strengthened with the same five layers of flexural CFRP plus additional transverse CFRP U-wraps. This study proved that it is possible to quantify the higher flexural capacity of CFRP strengthened beams using external anchorage. OPEN ACCESS