Reliability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened by CFRP Laminates

CFRP 적층판으로 보강된 철근콘크리트보의 신뢰성평가

In general, the problems of strengthening and repairing of deteriorated or damaged reinforced concrete members are usually worked out in situ by externally bounding steel plates using epoxy resins, which has been recognized to be one of effective and convenient methods. But the disadvantages of strengthening/repairing concrete members with externally bonded steel plates include ; (a) deterioration of the bond at the steel-concrete interface caused by the corrosion of steel ; (b) difficulty in manipulating the plate at the construction site ; (c) improper formation of joints, due to the limited delivery lengths of the steel plates ; and etc. Therefore these difficulties eventually have led to the concept of replacing the steel plates by fiber-reinforced composite sheets which are characterized by their light weight, extremely high stiffness, excellent fatigue properties, and outstanding corrosion resistance. In the paper, for the reliability assessment of reinforced concrete beams externally strengthened by carbon fiber plastic(CFRP) laminates, an attempt is made to suggest a limit state model based on the strain compatibility method and the concept of fracture mechanics. And the reliability of the proposed models is evaluated by using the AFOSM method. The load carrying capacity of the deteriorated and/or damaged RC beams is considerably increased. Thus, it may be stated that the post-strengthening of concrete beams with externally bonded CFRP materials may be one of very effective way of increasing the load carrying capacity and stiffeness characteristics of existing structures.