Sprayed GFRP shear-strengthened reinforced concrete beams under Impact Loading

The use of sprayed glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was investigated as a potential technique for improving the impact resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Reinforced concrete beams with a small number of stirrups as shear reinforcement were retrofitted. Different configurations and thicknesses of sprayed GFRP with a random distribution of chopped fibers, at a fiber content of about 25% by volume, were applied on two or three sides of the RC beams. These specimens were then subjected to impact loading using a 14.5 kJ instrumented drop weight impact machine. RC beams with the sprayed GFRP coating were found to possess a higher load carrying capacity, and were found to absorb much greater energy compared to those without the coating, under both static and impact loading.