Flexural performance of reinforced concrete beams retrofitted using ferrocement wire mesh

Introduction: Ferrocement is a low-cost material that can be utilized as a replacement for expensive fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), which is generally used for retrofitting structural and non-structural reinforced concrete members. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of wire mesh in the retrofitting of flexural members such as reinforced concrete beams. It also investigated the flexural capacity of the beams, which are reinforced with wire mesh as a partial or complete replacement of regular rebar. The orientations and various forms of the wire mesh within the beam section are taken into consideration. The finite element method is used to model and analyze the beams. The structural performance of the studied beams, including the load-deflection relationship, first cracked and ultimate cracked loads, crack patterns, and flexural stress, were evaluated using the finite element method. The finite element model of the beam which is reinforced with wire mesh has been verified with experimental results. The results show that beams retrofitted with ferrocement or beams in which rebar is replaced by wire mesh have superior flexural performance and low crack depth. The beams retrofitted with wire mesh have a high ultimate load-carrying capacity and ductility. The confinement of three-sided wire mesh improves the flexural performance of the beam. It is observed that flexural performance remains the same when the length of the wire mesh exceeds half of the span length.