Studying of CFRP Position for Strengthened Continuous RC T-Section Beams in Negative Moment Zone

Abstract

Although carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are used widely either for repairing or strengthening of many structures, no enough information is available when used for strengthening of RC continuous T-section beams is available. This is more obvious when used for strengthening of the negative moment zone at the intermediate supports. Moreover, no literature is available for the studying of the expected locations of the laminates across the width of the beam flange which is very important from a practical point of view.  Although, it is traditional to consider CFRP laminates fixed above the beam web, this is not practical since walls and columns are located in such locations as a general. This paper examines the effect of varying the locations of CFRP laminates used for the strengthening of the negative moment zone across the beam flange. The Finite Element (FE) Package ANSYS is used to create 3-D theoretical models of this study. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that changing the location of CFRP in the negative moment zone, is important and affects the overall behavior. The optimal locations are either above the web or at the flange adjacent to the web.