EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON CRACKING AND DEFLECTION BEHAVIOUR OF RC BEAMS STRENGTHENED WITH EBR CFRP LAMINATES UNDER DIFFERENT PRELOADING CONDITIONS

Abstract

This study experimentally evaluates the influence of a pre-cracked stage on the deflection and cracking behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with externally bonded CFRP laminates. Three RC beams were loaded until their service load, then strengthened and tested until rupture, while three other identical beams, were strengthened and directly tested until failure. The midspan deflection and a total of 145 cracks were studied through the Digital Image Correlation. The experimental results were compared with sectional analysis theoretical predictions, while crack spacing and width were compared to Ceroni and Pecce proposal. Main findings indicate that the pre-cracked stage does not have a clear influence on the final deformational behaviour of the beam.