An Experimental Study on Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with High-Performance Ferrocement

Abstract

Three reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened by high-performance ferrocement and two control specimens without strengthened are investigated when RC beams have low compressive strength. Flexural behaviors of strengthened RC beams with high-performance ferrocement are evaluated based on comparative analysis with RC beams. The strengthening results of steel meshes with U-shape (i.e. ferrocements are put onto the tension face and two profile faces) are analyzed. The flexural capacity, deflection and crack width of RC flexural beams are measured, and then comparative analysis is carried out for deformation performance and law of crack development. The test results show that ferrocement contributes greatly to increase the flexural capacity and raise crack-resisting capacity. The experimental results can provide a theoretical reference for actual engineering designs.