FRP FLEXURAL STRENGTHENING OF CONCRETE BEAMS WITH NSM AND EBR TECHNIQUES
Strengthening of Beams; Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP); ACI 440; FIB 90; NSM; EBR.
The use of more efficient materials and techniques is a frequent topic in civil construction. For solutions involving structural rehabilitation, reinforcement using Fiber Reinforced Polymers (PRF or FRP) can be highlighted, which can be installed directly on the concrete surface (EBR) or through notches in the concrete cover (NSM).
A database was built containing experimental results of 268 beams reinforced in flexure with FRP's, which served as the basis for comparative analyzes between the predictions obtained by theoretical models established in the American standard ACI 440.2R (2017), Bulletin fib 90 (2019), and Brazilian standard NBR 6118 (2023). Nine calculation criteria are used to test the behavior of the predictions.
With the database it was possible to notice average load increments of around 54% for reinforcements using FRP-NSM and 47% for FRP-EBR, close to the theoretical results obtained through the application of the models. The ACI 440 generated results a little lower than expected for predicting the rupture mode, fib 90 was a little better, however, with a maximum of 60% correct.
In general, elements reinforced with NSM showed a tendency to generate more conservative results compared to the EBR technique, observing the relationship between experimental and theoretical ultimate load, a good level of precision is noted for both techniques, with values close to unity in all criteria. The Brazilian standard generated a good prediction of the ultimate load, when applied in conjunction with fib 90 criteria, for both bonding techniques. ACI 440 had more conservative results than other standards.