Structural strengthening of concrete has become an integral component of concrete repair in recent years. It can help restore load capacity to structural components or add capacity where original designs were inadequate.
Carbon FRP is an efficient strengthening material, suitable for externally bonding to concrete beams and slabs, offering superior tensile strength (10x that of steel) with its light weight construction.
Strength
An essential aspect of many structural strengthening projects involves increasing or restoring the load capacity of concrete beams, columns, walls and slabs to accommodate for new loads that were not originally considered in their design; to reduce service loading to prevent damage; correct deficiencies caused by errors during construction; or restore initial load capacities of decayed structures.
An excellent example of an infrastructure component to be strengthened is a concrete bridge. When these bridges begin deterioration or experience additional load increases from traffic, strengthening them becomes critical to ensure its longevity and integrity.
Gemite offers externally bonded carbon FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) composite systems to use in flexural and shear strengthening applications, which have proven extremely effective due to their superior strength-to-weight ratio – often up to 10x stronger than steel!
Durability
Concrete is an integral component of many structures and it can be strengthened in various ways to increase its capacity. Structural strengthening can prevent failures, lower maintenance costs and extend lifespan while simultaneously increasing safety and usability – helping avoid fires or any other form of damage to the building.
Structural damping devices can be used to reduce vibration amplitude, deformations and load on structural members by dissipating energy. They can either be passive, active or hybrid devices and may also be modified to adapt existing structures to meet new requirements.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) can be externally attached to concrete structures for use in strengthening applications, including flexural and shear strengthening applications. It boasts an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, excellent ductility and good impact resistance while being cost-effectively strengthening concrete structures without needing to demolish and replace them – made up of strong continuous carbon or steel fiber strands embedded within a polymer matrix matrix.
Erosion resistance
Structural strengthening is an integral component of building maintenance and extender life span, providing protection against erosion caused by water entering masonry structures as well as cracking or deforming of concrete surfaces. Structural reinforcement may be performed either on new structures or old ones damaged by fires or earthquakes.
An example is a concrete beam reinforced with steel bars in bending, which is generally considered to exhibit very ductile behavior. But when subjected to fatigue load conditions, these stresses may cause compression and tension forces on steel parts which will result in their fracture in an unexpected brittle manner; disrupting its normal behavior in an unacceptable way.
However, strengthening a structure with linear elastic material will reduce stress on steel components and restore their ductility – this method of strengthening can significantly enhance flexural strength and abrasion resistance of existing concrete structures.
Maintenance
Over time, structures’ needs may change over their lifespans; new loads may be placed upon bridges or buildings or new standards might become relevant that necessitate upgrades to structural systems. Structural strengthening provides an ideal way to meet these evolving demands without impacting original forms.
At times, multiple methods must be employed when dealing with deteriorating structures. Their performance levels can diminish due to increased loads that exceed design load capacity, construction errors or corrosion of reinforcement.
VSL offers proven and cost-effective solutions for strengthening bridges or buildings to accommodate increased service loads, seismic retrofitting or restoring damaged structural parts to their original load capacities. Such work involves meticulous investigations, clearly defined procedures, expert execution and quality control, ultimately increasing bending, shear and seismic resistance which prolongs service life while offering cost savings over replacement.