Experimental and Statistical Analysis of Formwork Beams Reinforced with CFRP

Enhancement of structural behaviour of various construction materials using fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) is an important branch of engineering research, including the increasing application for structural timber as well. This study deals with the reinforcement of standard construction formwork timber beams with carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). Beams with various amount of reinforcement were prepared using simultaneous formation of lamella and bonding. Laboratory bending tests are carried out and load-deflection data were measured to experimentally determine the change of load-bearing capacity and stiffness with respect to non-reinforced reference sample, as well as to assess the structural behaviour. Evaluation of failure modes is carried out on each specimen. A statistical analysis of the experimental results using t-test is also made. The experiments prove the enhancement of structural behaviour, especially in terms of the increased load-bearing capacity, the increased ductility in certain cases, the decrease of the scattering of results, and also in failure modes.