Performance of Two-way RC Slabs Retrofitted by Different Configurations of High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitous Composite Strips

Introduction:

Considering the promising results gained from several studies using cementitious composites with strain hardening behaviour (High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composites, HPFRCC) for repair and retrofitting concrete flexural members, in this paper the possibility of using HPFRCC for retrofitting two-way RC slabs is investigated.

Methods:

A total of five two-way slabs were made and tested to failure. Three slabs were retrofitted with a variety of different types of retrofit configurations and two other slabs, having low and conventional reinforcement ratios, were used as control slabs. A novel technique of bonding, designated NSM-HPFRCC, is proposed. Flexural responses of all slabs are evaluated and the bonding behaviour and associated failure modes are investigated.

Results and Conclusion:

It is shown that the proposed retrofit configurations, especially when accompanied by the NSM-HPFRCC technique, can greatly improve the flexural performance of retrofitted slabs; hence, they can be used successfully to retrieve the flexural reinforcement deficiency of weak slabs.

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