Increasing the flexural performance of RC beams strengthened with CFRP materials

In recent years scientific attention has focused on the use of FRP composites as the most promising technologies for repairing, strengthening or retrofitting existing structures to resist higher loads and to rectify damage. The use of external FRP as flexural strengthening gives advantages in terms of resistance, stiffness and ductility. In this paper, a new methodology of reinforcement is applied on a beam in order to increase its load carrying capacity, by generating a higher internal couple of the transversal section, but leaving the weight of the element practically the same. This was possible by using a new composite joist, joined at the intrados of the original beam. The study was carried out on beam samples scaled 1:2 size. The results obtained show that this methodology was very useful in the case of a transformation of the use of a civil structure and also when an increase of the resistant section is required.