Retrofitting of RC girders using pre-stressed CFRP sheets

Pre-stressing of existing structures using steel cables, FRP cables or FRP laminates has been successfully tried in the past. Retrofitting of beams using pre-stressed laminates does not utilize the full strength of the FRP due to de-bonding of the laminates before the fibre fracture. In the present study attempt has been made to overcome this problem by replacing the FRP laminates by the FRP sheets. In the present paper the effect of initial damage level and pre-stress level on strength, stiffness, cracking behaviour and failure mode of girders retrofitted using pre-stressed CFRP sheets has been studied. The results indicate that rehabilitation of initially damaged girders by bonding pre-stressed CFRP sheets improves the flexural behaviour of beams appreciably. However, it has been observed that with increase in pre-stressing force the load carrying capacity of the girders increases up to a particular level up to which the mode of failure is fibre fracture. Thereafter, the mode of failure shifts from fibre fracture to debonding and there is no appreciable increase in load carrying capacity with further increase in pre-stressing force.