Prestressed near-surface mounted fibre reinforced polymer reinforcement for concrete structures — a review

Abstract

The specialized application of prestressing the near-surface mounted (NSM) fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement for strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) structures combines the benefits of the FRP reinforcement with the advantages associated with external prestressing. By applying a prestress to the NSM FRP the material is used more efficiently since a greater portion of its tensile capacity is employed. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the performance of RC members strengthened using prestressed NSM FRP reinforcement. Several techniques and anchorage systems developed to prestress the NSM FRP are presented. The static flexural and fatigue performance of RC beams strengthened using prestressed NSM FRP in comparison to non-prestressed NSM is presented. Research on the long-term performance under freeze–thaw exposures and sustained loading is also presented.