Externally Bonded FRP Applications in RC Structures: A State-of-the-Art Review

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures suffer deterioration over the years when exposed to external loads, such as earthquakes, traffic, blasts and vibrations. Consequently, they require repairs to recover stiffness and enhance their performance. Some of the repair procedures are still based on the traditional methods of adding new structural elements or steel sections, which are time-consuming and costly, require intensive equipment and labour requirements and disrupt usage of RC structures. In recent years, externally bonded fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets have become viable alternatives to traditional methods due to their excellent characteristics. This paper presents a review of the use of FRPs as externally bonded strengthening and repair systems in RC structures. The paper presents both static and dynamic assessments based on modal parameters for the assessment of FRP system effectiveness, with special focus placed on flexural and shear applications. Finally, the paper covers the mathematical assessment of FRP system effectiveness.