Various Schemes for Strengthening Concrete Structures

Abstract

Increased traffic loads and the creation of passages and openings in buildings by cutting a piece of slab or a portion of a wall require the strengthening of the weak or impaired member. Means are various: addition of a supporting beam, prestressing the section with external tendons, attaching steel plates or carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) strips to the weak face of a slab or wall. Adding a steel beam with the purpose of creating a composite action between the beam and slab was critically examined. Strength as well as rigidities of the modified structure were affected.