Impact testing of RC slabs strengthened with CFRP strips

First, the behaviour of two-way conventional reinforced concrete (RC) slabs and identical slabs strengthened by carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) under impact forces were experimentally investigated. The weight of the drop hammer and the drop height used in the tests were varied. A portion of the slabs were loaded successively until failure, whereas others were loaded only once. The slabs were previously tested for a static force at the midspan up to failure. A previously developed numerical model for nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete slabs and shells is presented. An improved numerical model developed in the current work was verified using experimental tests. The strengthening of the conventional RC slabs by CFRP strips was concluded not significantly to contribute to the slabs’ limit bearing capacity for static and impact loading, where punching shear failure occurred. The developed numerical model was demonstrated to be reliable.