Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams constructed with substandard steel reinforcement termination

Practical applications for the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials for the seismic strengthening of reinforced concrete beams that have been constructed with a substandard beam bar termination method were experimentally investigated in this study. Results suggest that the cut-off reinforced concrete beam design does not meet the standard design codes and that if no extra shear reinforcement is arranged in the curtailed region, the beam may be subject to brittle failure. Installation of FRP plates for flexural and shear strengthening can successfully correct the deficiency. The results show that the FRP composite beams could withstand rotation levels greater than those expected to be imposed during an earthquake event.