Shear strengthening of RC beams using ultra-high-strength fibre-reinforced concrete panels

This paper proposes a new shear strengthening method for reinforced concrete (RC) beams, in which ultra-high-strength fibre-reinforced concrete (UFC) panels are bonded to existing structural members, and studies the strengthening effects of the method. The experimental design and results showing the shear resisting capacity and bond-slip properties are presented. To apply the proposed strengthening method to existing RC structures, the size effect on the strengthening performance is also studied. In the experiments, two sizes of RC beams (one-quarter and half the depth of real bridge girders) are used. The proposed shear strengthening method achieves great strengthening effects on both sizes of beams and beneficial effects on shear strength and failure mode. In order to propose a proper design for the shear strengthening method, numerical methods are also used to estimate the shear force carried by UFC panels. The estimated shear force carried by the UFC panels agrees well with the experimental results.