Structural upgrading of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams is frequently necessary in practice. This thesis describes an experimental study of reinforced concrete beams strengthened by "jacketing" (i.e., the addition of concrete and steel). In this study, the jacket was made of preplaced aggregate concrete. Static and dynamic load tests were carried out on 21 full-scale reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened by jacketing. A modified slant shear test was used to measure the bond between preplaced aggregate concrete and plain concrete. Slant shear tests were carried on 60 composite prisms of varying concrete strengths and surface preparations, using both static and dynamic loading. From the results, Mohr-Coulomb failure envelopes were derived.