RETROFITTING OF CORROSION-DAMAGED study on

FRCM

SEMINAR REPORT

Submitted in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the award of M.Tech Degree in
Civil Engineering
of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University

Submitted by

SALMA BEEGUM S (Reg. No.)

I Semester
M.Tech Structural Engineering

Guided by
Prof. INDU VS

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SREE BUDDHA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, PATTOOR
Month, 2018
(April, 2016)
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
SREE BUDDHA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, PATTOOR

CERTIFICATE
(This complete page 14 pt)

This is to certify that this seminar report entitled "RETROFITTING OF

CORROSION-DAMAGED RC BEAM WITH FRCM", is a bonafide record
of the mini project work done by NAME OF STUDENT (Reg. No.) , under
our guidance towards partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the
Degree of Master of Technology in Structural Engineering of the APJ Abdul
Kalam Technological University during the year 2016.

Prof. Anup Joy Prof. Anup Joy

Dept. of CE, SBCE. Dept. of CE, SBCE.
(Guide) (PG Coordinator)

Dr. E. K Bhass
P.G Dean & HOD (CE)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
(14 pt bold capitals)
Include the names of Guide, Coordinator, HOD, Principal, etc.

ABSTRACT
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Frame as one-half page and should contain the essence of the seminar/ project work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1 CHAPTER HEADING (14 pt bold capitals) 1

1.1 SECTION HEADING (12 pt capitals)..........................................................2

1.1.1 Sub- section heading (12 pt bold).......................................................3

LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
(14 pt bold capitals)

1.1 Name of figure/table....................................................................................................23

1.2 Name of figure/ table...................................................................................................25

NOMENCLATURE
(14 pt bold capitals)

i. ADM : Adaptive Delta Modulation

ii. BPSK : Binary Phase Shift Keying
iii. CG : Conjugate gradient
iv. DAC : Digital to analog converter
v. ......................
vi. ..........................
vii. ω : angular frequency
viii. λ : wavelength
ix. ........................
x. ...................

Original report
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
For past two decades studies on strengthening of RC structures have been largely focussed on
the application of the externally bonded (EB) fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) with epoxy
adhesive. FRP systems have become one of the preferred technologies for repair and
strengthening of concrete and masonry structures. FRP systems have features such as high
tensile strength, light weight, relative ease of installation, and resistance to corrosion, which
make them attractive to the structural industry. However, FRP also has limitations including
poor behaviour of epoxy resin at elevated temperature, long term durability uncertainty,
inability to apply FRP on wet surface or at low temperature, lack of vapour permeability,
which may cause damage to the concrete structures and toxicity nature of epoxy.

These drawbacks are all related to the epoxy matrix used to embed and bond the fibers. Thus,
substituting the epoxy matrix with a cementitious matrix appeared to be the most reasonable
solution to improve the overall performance of externally-bonded composite systems. This
new system in composite structure is known as fabric reinforced cementitious matrix
(FRCM). FRCM (fabric reinforced cementitious matrix) is a composite material consisting of
one or more layers of cement-based matrix with a maximum organic content of 5%,
reinforced with dry fibers in the form of open mesh or fabric. It have cement based adhesive
which overcome the drawbacks of epoxy based FRP system, is a promising alternative in
composite structures. FRCM consist of one or more layers of textile made of carbon, glass,
basalt or polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) grids that are sandwiched between
layers of cementitious mortar. The fabric used here is non corrosive in nature, also FRCM
composite act as barriers against water diffusion and chloride ions penetration, which makes
the system a viable repair or strengthening solution in corrosive environment.
 Fig. 1.1 FRP application fig .1.2 CFRCM application
(Source:http://www.google.co.in) (Source:http://www.google.co.in)
 CHAPTER 2
MATERIALS IN FRCM

FRCM system consists of fabric in cementitious matrix. Different types of fabric are used in
FRCM system such as PBO, glass, carbon, basalt and steel. The fabrics are made of joint
fiber bundles (rovings) processed on sewing machines to produce textile grids. The
cementitious matrix is engineered specifically to optimize its performance with the fabric that
it forms a system when adhered to concrete or masonry structural members, and acts as
supplemental, externally bonded reinforcement
2.1 MATRIX
The cement based matrixes are typically made of combinations of Portland cement, silica
fume, and fly ash as the binder. The function of the matrix is to encapsulate and protect the
fibers, and transfer stresses from the concrete or masonry substrate to the fibers. The
composition of the cementitious matrix is very important and crucial for the performance of
the FRCM system. The mortar should be non-shrinkable and workable, to be easily applied
with a trowel and to penetrate the fabric mesh openings, and viscous to apply on vertical
surfaces. In addition, the mortar rate of workability loss should be low to allow for multiple
layers of reinforcement.
Both hydraulic and non-hydraulic cements can be used. Finely graded sands (grain size
smaller than 0.02 inch) help improve the workability of the fresh mix and the impregnation of
the fabric mesh. The water-to-mortar ratio by weight typically ranges between 15% and 25%.
The mortar mix can include chopped fibers to reduce the plastic shrinkage cracking. Organic
compounds can also be used to control the hardening rate and the workability of the fresh
mix, to improve the bond to the fabric mesh, and to enhance the mechanical properties. Their
content is generally limited to be less than 5% by weight of cement to obtain a fire-proof
matrix.

Fig.2.1 frcm system

(Source:http://www.asce.org.)
2.2 PBO FABRIC (polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole)
The most recent fabric in FRCM is PBO fibers. The PBO fibers exhibit higher toughness,
stiffness, a good resistance to abrasion, to cutting, to UV, to high temperature and fire
exposure than other fibers. Furthermore, they are characterized by excellent stability and very
low absorption in presence of wet condition (0.6%).
Their diameter is usually between 9 μm and 13 μm so they are an excellent substitute for
asbestos fibers because their diameter significantly exceeds the limit for risk related to
breathing (about 5μm). Moreover, they are excellent for thermal and acoustic insulation; they
retain their mechanical properties even at high temperatures and exhibit a very high chemical
stability (both in acidic and alkaline environment). The latter property makes them
particularly attractive as a reinforcement in FRCMs.
2.3 CARBON FABRIC
Carbon fiber is extensively used in composite structures. Carbon fabric which are produced
by using rayon as a precursor have sufficient strength to be used as a reinforcement for
composites having high strength to weight properties and for high temperature applications.
Carbon fibers have diameter 5-10 μm and composed mostly of carbon atoms .the properties
of these fibers include high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical
resistance, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion. However, they are
expensive than glass or plastic fibers..

Fig.2.2 Carbon fabric fig. 2.3 PBO fabric

(Source:http://www.asce.org.)
2.4 BASALT FABRIC
Basalt is a type of igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of lava at the surface of earth. It
is the most common rock in earth’s crust. Basalt rock characters vary from the source of lava,
cooling rate, and historical exposure to the elements. High quality fibers are made from basalt
deposits with uniform chemical makeup .The production of basalt and glass fibers are similar.
Crushed basalt rock is the only raw material required for manufacturing the fiber. It is a
continuous fiber produced through igneous basalt rock melt drawing at about 2,700° F
(1,500° C). It has a similar chemical composition as glass fiber but has better strength
characteristics, and unlike most glass fibers is highly resistant to alkaline, acidic and salt
attack making it a good candidate for concrete, bridge and shoreline structures.

Fig 2.4 Basalt fabric

(Source:http://www.asce.org.)
 CHAPTER 4
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY-1

Several studies have reported on the use of FRCM as a structural strengthening element but
only limited studies have done on the use of FRCM in corrosion retrofitting of RC structures.
Mohammed Elghazy et.al (2017) done a study on “corrosion damaged RC beams repaired
with FRCM”. In this study carbon and PBO FRCM systems are used, also a comparison with
carbon FRP is included. To understand the load carrying capacity, modes of failure, no of
FRCM plies on strength the study is summarized below.
4.1 EXPIRIMENTAL SETUP AND TEST SPECIMEN DETAILS
Eleven RC beams were constructed and tested two specimens were neither corroded nor
repaired (MUU), one specimen was corroded but not repaired (CU), seven specimens were
corroded then repaired with different FRCM systems, and one specimen was corroded and
repaired with carbon-FRP (CFRP) sheets.
The beams were labeled following the X-Y-Z format. X represents the beam condition
(MUU, CU, and CR refer to uncorroded-unrepaired, corroded-unrepaired, and corroded-
repaired beams, respectively). Y denotes the number of the applied fabric layers followed by
their type (1P, 2P, 4P, 2C, 3C, and 1FRP), in which the digits (1–4) refer to the number of
fabric layers and the letters (P, C, and FRP) refer to the PBO-FRCM, carbon-FRCM, and
carbon- FRP sheet, respectively. Finally, Z describes the FRCM strengthening schemes.
4.2 TEST SPECIMEN DETAILS
Typical dimensions and reinforcement details of the test specimen are shown in the fig (4.1).
A hollow stainless tube with an external and internal diameter of 9.5 and 7mm, respectively
was placed 80mm from the specimen tension face to act as cathode during accelerated
corrosion process.
 Fig.4.2 Specimen details
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
4.3 ACCELERATED CORROSSION
For the casting of corroded specimens sodium chloride measured as 5 % of the cement
weight was added to the concrete mix. Corrosion of the main reinforcement was localized in
the middle 1200mm of the beams span. A power supply was used to obtain a current density
of 180μA/cm2 in the reinforcing bar

4.4 SPECIFICATIONS OF MATERIALS USED

For casting the beam two types of ready mix concrete one salted and one normal is used.

Compressive Standard Coefficient of

strength deviation variation
Test Concrete (MPa) (MPa) (%)
28-day Normal concrete 38 0.8 2
Salted concrete 33.5 1.1 3.2
Testing day Normal concrete 42 4.8 11.4
Salted concrete 41 0.6 1.6
Table 4.1 Concrete compressive strength
4.5 FABRIC PROPERTIES
Two type of fabric are used PBO and carbon. the associated inorganic cementitious matrix in
PBO had a compressive strength of 44 MPa (standard deviation of 0.4 MPa) and a flexural
strength of 3 MPa (standard deviation of 0.3 MPa) after 28 days, as determined by the
authors. On the other hand, the carbon-FRCM composite consists of unidirectional net made
of carbon-fiber strands oriented in one direction. and impregnated in an inorganic
cementitious matrix of compressive strength of 42 MPa (standard deviation of 4.3 MPa) and
flexural strength of 3.2 MPa (standard deviation of 0.3 MPa) after 28 days, as determined by
the authors. Finally, the carbon-FRP composite consists of unidirectional carbon fiber sheet
and an epoxy resin. According to the manufacturer’s data sheet, the composite has a tensile
strength of 0.89 GPa, a tensile modulus of 65.4 GPa, and an ultimate elongation of 1.33%.
Table 4.2 lists the fabric properties

Area per unit Tensile strength Elastic modulus Ultimate strain

width (GPa) (GPa) (%)
fabric 𝐴𝑓
Carbon 50 5.8 270 2.15
unidirectional
PBO 157 4.3 240 1.75
bidirectional
CFRP 381 3.5 230 1.5
Table 4.2 fabric properties

4.6 FRCM REPAIR SCHEME

Two FRCM repair schemes were used in this study, Scheme I consisted of one or more
FRCM flexure plies with 150-mm widths (equal to the width of the beam) applied to the
soffit of the beam over a length of 2,400 mm. The fabrics were oriented so that their primary
direction was parallel to the longitudinal axis of the beam. The plies were anchored at each
end using one U-shaped transverse strip of 300 mm width and 200 mm height, as shown in
Fig. Scheme II consisted of bottom flexural strips similar to those of Scheme I but wrapped
with an additional U-shaped continuous ply along the beam’s span Fig. (4.3)
 Fig 4.3 Scheme detailing
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
4.7 REPAIR TECHNIQUE
Corroded specimens were repaired before applying the FRCM repair system. First, a
hydraulic hammer was used to remove the deteriorated concrete with a thickness of 60–70
mm. The corroded steel bars were then brushed, and the beams were repaired using local
repair mortar. After 7 days of curing in ambient temperature, sandblasting was used to
roughen the concrete substrate. The beam’s substrate was damped in water for 2 h before
applying the first layer of the cementitious matrix with a thickness of 3–4 mm. Then, the
fabric was installed and coated with a second layer of matrix of similar thickness. The
procedure was then repeated until the specified number of layers was attained
4.8 TEST SETUP
The beams were tested under the four-point loading configuration. The load was applied in
displacement control at a rate of 2 mm/min using an MTS actuator. Beam deflections were
measured using three linear variable differential transducers (LVDTs) located at midspan and
under the point loads. A data acquisition captured the readings of LVDTs at all stages of
loading
4.9 TEST OBSERVATION
4.9.1 CORROSION CRACKS AND MASS LOSS
Because of corrosion, continuous longitudinal cracks parallel to the reinforcing bars were
observed as shown in Fig.4.4 for Specimen CU. No concrete spalling was observed. The
average and maximum measured crack widths after corrosion were determined as 0.7 and 1
mm, respectively. Visual inspection of the corroded beams revealed the existence of several
corrosion pits randomly dispersed along the surface of the bars. Six steel coupons, 200 mm
long each, were extracted from each corroded bar after testing. The actual mass losses of the
examined bars were determined according to ASTM G1-03 (ASTM2011). The average
tensile steel mass losses for each specimen are listed in Table 4.2. The average, minimum,
and maximum steel mass loss determined for all specimens were 12.6, 11.5, and 13.7%,
respectively

SPECIMEN AVERAGE MASS LOSS

MUU -
CU 13
CR-1P-1 13.7
CR-2P-1 13
CR-4P-1 12.5
CR-2P- II 13
CR-4P- II 12.5
CR-2C- II 12.5
CR-3C- II 12
CR-1FRP-1 11.5
Table 4.3 tensile steel mass loss in specimens
 Fig 4.4 corroded beam
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
4.9.2 MODES OF FAILURE
The modes of failure of the tested specimens are summarized in Table . Beams MUU
(control) and CU (corroded unrepaired) failed by yielding of the steel bars followed by
concrete crushing (SY-CC). A similar mode of failure was observed in Beam CR-1P-I, as
shown in Fig 4.5. For the other repaired specimens, four different modes of failure were
observed:

Fig: 4.5 SY-CC

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
1. FRCM delamination (FD): This type of failure occurred at the fabric/matrix interface with
complete delamination between the fabric and the first layer of the matrix adjacent to the
concrete substrate [Fig 4.6]. The delamination was caused by the propagation of flexural
cracks to this thin layer of the matrix and the relative deformation between the fabric and the
matrix. This mode of failure was reported for Specimens CR-2P-I and CR-4P-I.

Fig: 4.6 FD
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
2. Fabric slippage (FS): Slippage occurred between the PBO U-shaped fabric and its
cementitious matrix [Fig 4.7]. Cracks were first observed in the matrix of the U-shaped
FRCM layer followed by the gradual slippage of the fabric until the FRCM strengthening
action was lost. This mode of failure was observed in Specimens CR-2P-II and CR-4P-II. It
should be noticed that the continuous PBO-U-shaped ply delayed the delamination of the
FRCM composites and the mode of failure was changed to gradual fabric slippage.
Therefore, specimens that failed in this category showed a more ductile behavior compared to
that observed in specimens that failed due to FRCM delamination.

Fig: 4.7 FS
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
3. Matrix cracking and fabric separation from the matrix (MCSFM): This type of failure was
reported for specimens with carbon-FRCM, namely, CR-2C-II and CR-3C-II, as shown in
Fig 4.8. As the applied load increased, progressive cracking in the cementitious matrix
associated with fabric slippage was observed until local separation between the fabric and the
matrix took place and the strengthening action was lost. Matrix cracking took a web pattern
as shown in Fig 4.8 for the bottom of Specimen CR-3C-II. This mode of failure was more
brittle than that observed in the PBO-repaired specimens, which can be attributed to the
superior bond characteristics between the cementitious matrix of the PBO-FRCM and the
PBO fabric compared to those of the carbon-FRCM counterparts (Ebead et al. 2016; Elghazy
et al. 2018)

Fig: 4.8 MCSFM

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
4. CFRP laminate rupture (LR): This mode of failure was reported for Specimen CR-1FRP-I
[Fig.4.9]. A longitudinal crack initiated at midspan at the laminate/concrete interface
followed by the sudden rupture of the laminate. This mode of failure was consistent with the
high strains recorded in the laminate at ultimate.

Fig: 4.9 LR
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)

SPECIMEN Type of failure

MUU SY-CC
CU SY-CC
CR-1P-1 SY-CC
CR-2P-1 FD
CR-4P-1 FD
CR-2P- II FS
CR-4P- II FS
CR-2C- II MC-SFM
CR-3C- II MC-SFM
CR-1FRP-1 LR
Table 4.4 types of failure
4.9.3 LOAD-DEFLECTION RESPONSE
Load-deflection relationships of the tested beams are shown in Figs4.10-4.12. The flexural
response of the virgin beam (MUU), the corroded-unrepaired beam (CU), and the FRP-
repaired beam (CR-1FRP-I) are also shown for reference. The load-deflection curve of
Specimen CU indicated that corrosion slightly reduced the load-carrying capacity and
stiffness of the beam. The load deflection curve of the repaired beams consisted of three
segments with two turning points, indicating the concrete cracking and yielding of the tensile
steel.

1. LOAD DEFLECTION RESPONSE OF BEAMS REPAIRED WITH PBO-FRCM USING

SCHEME I

Fig 4.10 Load deflection response of beams repaired with PBO-FRCM using scheme I
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Above fig shows the load deflection of PBO-FRCM using scheme I. Beams showed similar
stiffness prior to yielding of steel reinforcing bars, indicating the slight influence of the
FRCM composite on the flexural response at this stage. Increasing the number of the PBO
plies increased the post-yielding stiffness of the repaired specimens in comparison to the
control ones. Specimen CR-1FRP-I (repaired with one layer of CFRP fabric) showed higher
post-yielding stiffness than that of Specimen CR-4P-I (repaired with four layers of PBO
fabric). However, the latter specimen showed slightly higher load- carrying capacity with a
more ductile mode of failure than the former one.
2.EFFECT OF THE FRCM SCHEME ON THE LOAD DEFLECTION RESPONSE OF
PBO-REPAIRED BEAMS

Fig 4.11 Effect of the FRCM scheme on the load deflection response of PBO-repaired beams
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Specimens repaired with PBO-FRCM in Scheme II showed a slight enhancement in the pre-
yielding and post-yielding stiffness in comparison to those repaired in Scheme I, regardless of
the number of flexural plies used fig 4.11 . This was attributed to the enlargement of the
beam width and the presence of fiber strands on both sides of the beams in Scheme II and to
the wrapping effect of the U-shaped strips that delayed the delamination of the fabric.

3. LOAD-DEFLECTION RESPONSES OF CARBON AND PBO-FRCM REPAIRED

BEAMS USING SCHEME II
Fig. 4.12 compares the load-deflection responses of the carbon and PBO-FRCM-repaired
beams using Scheme II. Specimens repaired with carbon-FRCM showed higher post-yielding
stiffness than that of their PBO-repaired counterparts. The former specimens exhibited
sudden drop after reaching the ultimate load, whereas specimens repaired with PBO-FRCM
showed a gradual decreasing trend after reaching the ultimate. This can be attributed to the
different bond mechanism of specimens repaired with carbon-FRCM and consequently
related to their brittle mode of failure (D’Ambrisiet al. 2013; D’Antino et al. 2014; Elghazy et
al. 2018).

Fig 4.12 load-deflection responses of carbon and PBO-FRCM repaired beams in scheme II
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)

4.9.4 STRENGTH ANALYSIS

Table gives the strength results of the tested beams. The experimental yield, Pexpy , and
ultimate, Pexpu , loads of all specimens were normalized to those of the virgin specimen.
Corrosion of the main reinforcement reduced the yield and ultimate loads by 8% and 5%,
respectively. The reduction in the load-carrying capacity from corrosion was smaller than the
steel mass loss due to the good anchorage of the bars within the shear zone, which allowed a
tied-arch action to be developed when the specimen approached failure (Masoud et al. 2001).
 SPECIMEN Normalized loads
Pexpy Pexpu
MUU 1 1
CU 0.92 0.95
CR-1P-1 0.95 1.05
CR-2P-1 1.06 1.08
CR-4P-1 1.11 1.25
CR-2P- II 1.14 1.28
CR-4P- II 1.22 1.44
CR-2C- II 1.06 1.30
CR-3C- II 1.16 1.52
CR-1FRP-1 1.04 1.21
Table 4.5 normalized yield and ultimate load of beams

4.9.5 EFFECT OF NUMBER OF FRCM PLIES ON STRENGHT

The use of a single PBO-FRCM layer in Specimen CR-1P-I restored 95 and 105% of the
yield and ultimate loads of the virgin beam, respectively. Increasing the number of PBO-
FRCM layers further increased the yield and ultimate loads (Specimen CR-2P-I restored 106
and 108% and Specimen CR-4P-I restored 111 and 125% of the yield and ultimate loads,
respectively). However, the strength enhancement was not linearly proportional to the added
number of FRCM layers. A similar trend was encountered in specimens repaired with
Scheme II. Increasing the number of FRCM layers enhanced the yield and ultimate strengths
of the repaired beams. Specimen CR-4P-II showed an increase of 22 and 44% of the yield
and ultimate loads, respectively, compared to 14 and 28% for Specimen CR-2P-II. Similarly,
the use of two layers of carbon-FRCM in Specimen CR-2C-II increased the yield and
ultimate strengths by 6 and 30%, respectively, compared to 16 and 52% for Specimen CR-
3C-II.

4.9.6 EFFECT OF FRCM REPAIR SCHEME ON STRENGTH

Scheme II was more effective than Scheme I in restoring the yield and load-carrying capacity
of the repaired beams. This was depicted from the results of the beams repaired with two and
four PBO-FRCM layers. The enhancement in yield load was 6 and 14% for Specimens CR-
2P-I and CR-2P-II, respectively. Their corresponding ultimate strengths increased by 8 and
28%, respectively. The use of four layers of PBO-FRCM with Scheme II in Specimen CR-
4P-II increased the yield and ultimate loads by 22 and 44%, respectively, in comparison to 11
and 25% for Specimen CR-4P-I having the same number of PBO-fabric layers.

4.10 INFERENCE
An average mass loss of 13% in the tensile steel reduced the yield and ultimate loads of the
beam by 8 and 5%, respectively. PBO-FRCM repaired specimen showed slightly higher
ultimate load-carrying capacities with a more ductile mode of failure than those of CFRP-
repaired specimens with similar repair scheme.
Corrosion-damaged RC beams repaired with PBO- and carbon-FRCM restored 105–144%
and 130–152%, respectively, of the original load-carrying capacity of the virgin uncorroded
beam. The gain in capacity was highly dependent on the number of fabric layers, their
material, and the scheme used. Increasing the number of FRCM layers increased the yielding
and ultimate loads of the repaired beams. Beams repaired with carbon-FRCM showed higher
post-yielding stiffness than that of their PBO-repaired counterparts. The former beams
exhibited a sudden drop after reaching the ultimate load, whereas the latter beams showed a
gradual decrease after reaching the ultimate load. U-wrapped FRCM scheme was more
efficient than the bottom end-anchored scheme in increasing the ultimate capacity of the
repaired beams. The PBO-repaired beams with Scheme II showed ultimate strengths 15–18%
more than those repaired with Scheme I. Beams repaired with PBO-FRCM systems failed in
a ductile mode due to either fabric delamination (repair Scheme I) or fabric slippage within
the matrix (repair Scheme II), whereas beams repaired with U-wrapped carbon-FRCM
systems showed a more brittle failure from matrix cracking and complete separation of the
fabric.
 CHAPTER 5
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY-2
A study on “innovative repair of severely corroded t-beams using fabric-reinforced
cementitious matrix” done by Tamer El-maaddawy et.al (2006) with carbon and basalt
FRCM. It is the first research work on the use of FRCM as an innovative solution for
rehabilitation of corrosion damaged RC beams.

5.1 EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM AND SCHEME USED

The experimental program comprised testing eight RC T-beam specimens. One specimen was
neither corroded nor repaired to act as a benchmark, one specimen was corroded but not
repaired, and six specimens were corroded then repaired using different FRCM schemes. The
deteriorated concrete in the corroded region of the repaired beams were removed then patch-
repaired with a cementitious mortar. In specimens D-1Ci, D-2Ci, and D-4Ci, one, two, and
four carbon fabric plies, 150 mm wide each, were embedded within the thickness of the clear
cover of the repaired region, respectively. The internally embedded fabrics had a length of
1,200 mm which corresponded to 40% of the beam span. in Specimen D-2Ce two carbon
FRCM layers externally bonded to the tension face with a length of 2,800 mm, which
corresponded to 93% of the beam span. The repair of specimen D-2Ci-2Ce comprised two
carbon fabric plies internally embedded in the clear cover of the mortar within the repaired
region and two carbon FRCM layers externally bonded to the tension face along the beam
span. Each externally bonded FRCM layer had a width of 150 mm and a thickness of
approximately 6 mm.
FRCM repair scheme
Specimen Type of fabric Internally embedded Externally bonded
Control _ _ _
D-NR _ _ _
D-1Ci Carbon 1 _
D-2Ci Carbon 2 _
D-2Ce Carbon _ 2
D-4Ci Carbon 4 _
D-4Bi Basalt 4 _
D-2Ci-2Ce Carbon 2 2
Table 5.1 specimen and their schemes
5.2 MATERIALS
The average cylinder concrete compressive strength was 25 MPa with a standard deviation of
2.0 MPa and coefficient of variation of 8%. Concrete was produced using ordinary Portland
cement, dune sand, and limestone coarse aggregate with a nominal maximum aggregate size
of 20 mm. The yield strengths of the tensile and compressive steel reinforcement were 538
and 345 MPa, respectively. Two types of resin-coated fabrics made of carbon and basalt
fibers were used in this study. The longitudinal and transverse carbon rovings had a thickness
of approximately 1 mm and spacings of 10 mm and 18 mm, respectively [Fig.5.1]. Each
roving had a cross-sectional area of approximately 3 mm2 in the longitudinal (weft) direction
and 6 mm2 in the transverse (warp) direction. The basalt rovings had a spacing of 5 mm in
both directions [Fig.5.1] and a cross-sectional area of approximately 0.85 mm2 in the
longitudinal (weft) direction. The area weight and mechanical properties of the textile grids in
the longitudinal (weft) direction as provided by the manufacturers are listed in Table (5.2).
The cementitious matrix was a non-shrink metallic aggregate mortar produced by BASF and
commercially known as Embeco 885. As reported in the manufacturer’s data sheet, the
mortar has a compressive strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity of 62, 7.9, and
25 GPa, respectively. The measured compressive and splitting strengths of the mortar based
on results of three replicate cylinders, 100 × 200 mm each, were 60 and 2.1 MPa,
respectively.

property carbon Basalt

Area weight (g/m2) 609 250
Tensile strength (MPa) 3800 1040
Modulus of elasticity (GPa) 230 10
Elongation at break (%) 1.6 10.3
Table 5.2 properties of fabric
 Fig.5.1 carbon and basalt fabric
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
5.3 TEST SPECIMEN

Fig 5.2 specimen details

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
The geometry and details of reinforcement of a typical test specimen is shown in Fig.5.2. The
test specimens had a length of 3,200 mm and effective span of 3,000 mm. The tensile steel
consisted of three 12 mm diameter deformed bars whereas the compressive steel consisted of
four 6 mm diameter plain bars. Double-leg 8 mm diameter deformed steel stirrups were
provided at a spacing of 100 mm to avoid shear failure. The stirrups located within the
corroded zone were epoxy-coated.

5.4 ACCELERATED CORROSION AGING

A constant current density of 200 μA/cm2 was impressed by means of external power
supplies through the tensile steel bars to promote corrosion. The concrete mix used to cast the
middle third of the beam, had 3% NaCl (salt) by weight of cement. The beams were then
subjected to wet-dry cycles for five. Tensile steel bars located outside the middle third of the
beam span were epoxy-coated as a further protection and to ensure that the steel bars in the
end regions will not corrode when exposed to wet-dry cycles.

5.5 TEST SET-UP AND INSTRUMENTATION

The specimens were tested to failure in four-point bending configuration under displacement
control at a rate of 1.5 mm/min. The load was applied using a servo hydraulic MTS actuator
of 500 kN capacity. The applied load was recorded by means of a load cell placed between
the actuator and the spreader beam. An LVDT was attached to the bottom soffit of the beam
at the midspan to record the beam deflection. The measuring instruments were connected to a
30-channel data acquisition system to record the readings.

5.6 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

5.6.1 CORROSION CRACKING AND MASS LOSS
Significant deterioration was observed in all corroded beams at the end of the accelerated
corrosion process. Rust stains and longitudinal cracks were noticeably observed at the level
of the tensile steel reinforcing bars. The corrosion crack width observed in the corroded
specimens was an average, minimum, maximum of 1.8 mm, 1.2 mm and 3 mm respectively.
The weight of the corroded-cleaned steel samples was compared to that of similar uncorroded
samples to determine the tensile steel mass loss caused by corrosion. The tensile steel mass
loss was on average 22% with a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 25%.
5.6.2 FAILURE MODE
The failure modes of the tested beams are summarized in Table(5.3) . The control specimen
exhibited a conventional flexural mode of failure that was initiated by yielding of the tensile
steel followed by crushing of concrete at the compression face.
Specimens D-NR, D-1Ci, and D-4Bi failed by fracture of the tensile steel after yielding
without crushing of concrete. The basalt fabric in specimen D-4Bi ruptured at the onset of
fracture of the tensile steel whereas the carbon fabric in specimen D-1Ci was not ruptured at
failure.
 Fig: 5.3 SY-CC
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Specimen D-2Ci failed by yielding of the tensile steel followed by intermediate flexure
crack-induced debonding of the fabric at the mortar/fabric interface. In this failure mode,
debonding at the mortar/fabric interface was initiated at a flexure crack in the constant
moment region then propagated toward the ends of the FRCM layers.

Fig: 5.4 SY-ID-F/M

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Specimen D-2Ce exhibited a failure mode similar to that of specimen D-2Ci but the
debonding occurred at the mortar/concrete substrate interface. The interfacial debonding at
the mortar/concrete substrate interface was triggered by formation of intermediate flexure-
shear crack under one of the load points.

Fig 5.5 SY-ID-C/M

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Specimen D-4Ci failed by yielding of the tensile steel followed by peeling of the concrete
cover (i.e., concrete cover separation). In this failure mode, failure was initiated by the
formation of an inclined crack at the vicinity of the FRCM reinforcement (i.e., at the vicinity
of the repaired region). This crack progressed horizontally toward the midspan along the
tensile steel reinforcing bars causing separation of the concrete cover.

Fig 5.6 SY-CS

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
Specimen D-2Ci-2Ce failed by yielding of the tensile steel followed by intermediate flexure-
shear crack-induced interfacial debonding at the mortar/fabric interface and concrete cover
separation. Debonding was initiated at the mortar/fabric interface of the externally bonded
FRCM layers because of the formation of a flexure-shear crack at the vicinity of the
internally embedded FRCM layer. The debonding propagated toward the ends of the
externally bonded FRCM layers. As the load progressed, an inclined crack developed in the
concrete cover at the vicinity of the repaired region then progressed horizontally toward the
midspan at the level of the tensile steel reinforcing bars causing concrete cover separation.
Concrete crushing at the top surface of the concrete was also observed at the onset of failure
of specimenD-2Ci-2Ce.

Fig 5.7 SY-ID-CS/CC

(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
 Specimen Failure mode
Control SY-CC
D-NR SY-RS
D-1Ci SY-RS
D-2Ci SY-ID-F/M
D-2Ce SY-ID-C/M
D-4Ci SY-CS
D-4Bi SY-RS
D-2Ci-2Ce SY-ID-CS/CC
Table 5.3 failure modes
5.6.3 LOAD-DEFLECTION RESPONSE
1. EFFECT OF REPAIRING WITH TWO FRCM LAYERS ON THE LOAD
DEFLECTION RESPONSE
The response of the unrepaired specimen D-NR indicated that the induced corrosion damage
and cracking significantly reduced the load capacity and ductility but had insignificant effect
on the beam stiffness. The effectiveness of the FRCM repair system to improve the flexural
response of the corroded beams was highly dependent on the type of the fabric and the
number/distribution of the FRCM layers within the beam span. From Fig. 7, it is shown that
the use of two carbon FRCM layers in specimen D-2Ci, internally embedded within the clear
cover of the repaired region, fully restored the original load capacity of the beam and 92% of
the original deflection capacity. The use of the same amount of two carbon FRCM layers in
specimen D-2Ce but externally bonded along the beam span insignificantly increased the load
capacity but reduced the beam deflection capacity relative to those of specimen D-2Ci. Both
specimens D-2Ci and D-2Ce yielded earlier than the control specimen.
 Fig: 5.8. Effect of repairing with two FRCM layers on the load deflection response
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)

2. EFFECT OF REPAIRING WITH FOUR FRCM LAYERS ON THE LOAD

DEFLECTION RESPONSE
The basalt FRCM repair system was not effective in improving the flexural response despite
the use of four layers in repairing the beam D-4Bi. In contrast, the use of four carbon FRCM
layers internally embedded within the repaired region in specimen D-4Ci increased the load
carrying capacity to a level higher than that of the control specimen. The use of two carbon
FRCM layers internally embedded within the repaired region together with two FRCM layers
externally bonded along the beam span (specimen D-2Ci-2Ce) was more effective in
improving the flexural response than the use of four internally embedded FRCM layers
(specimen D-4Ci).
Fig: 5.9 Effect of repairing with four FRCM layers on the load deflection response
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)
3. EFFECT OF NUMBER OF FRCM LAYERS ON THE LOAD-DEFLECTION
RESPONSE
The use of one carbon FRCM layer, internally embedded within the repaired region in
specimen D-1Ci, was sufficient to restore 96% of the original load capacity of the beam
but did not restore the original beam ductility. The reduced ductility of specimen D-1Ci can
be attributed to the premature fracture of the tensile steel that occurred suddenly after
yielding. Increasing the amount of internally embedded carbon FRCM layers from one
to two layers in specimen D-2Ci prevented fracture of the tensile steel, which allowed the
repaired beam to sustain greater deflections prior to failure, and thus, restoring 92% of the
original beam deflection capacity. Further increase in the number of internally embedded
carbon FRCM layers to four layers in specimen D-4Ci slightly increased the load capacity but
reduced the deflection capacity and ductility relative to those of specimen D-2Ci.
 Fig: 5.10 Effect of number of FRCM layers on the load-deflection response
(Source: http://www.asce.org.)

5.6.4 STRENGTH ANALYSIS

specimen Load values Normalized loads

Yield Ultimate Yield Ultimate
control 47 57 - -
D-NR 34 41 0.72 0.72
D-1Ci 44 55 0.94 0.96
D-2Ci 40 57 0.85 1.00
D-2Ce 42 60 0.90 1.05
D-4Ci 44 62 0.94 1.09
D-4Bi 34 44 0.72 0.77
D-2Ci-2Ce 48 79 1.02 1.39
Table 5.4 yield and ultimate loads of specimens
Corrosion of steel reinforcement significantly reduced the yield and ultimate loads of
specimens. A 22% average tensile steel mass loss resulted in approximately 28% reduction
inthe load capacity. The reduction in load capacity was greater than the reduction in the
average steel mass loss caused by corrosion because of the presence of corrosion pits on the
surface of the steel bars, which resulted in fracture of the tensile steel suddenly after yielding
without concrete crushing. The restored load carrying capacity of specimens is given in table
5.4.
Specimen D-2Ci-2Ce shows higher yield and ultimate load. It shows an increase of 39% in
ultimate load carrying capacity.

5.7 INFERENCE
The strength reduction caused by corrosion was greater than the reduction in the tensile steel
mass loss. An average tensile steel mass loss of 22% reduced the load capacity of the
unrepaired beam by approximately 28%. The corroded-unrepaired beam failed prematurely
by fracture of the tensile steel after yielding without concrete crushing.
Repairing of specimen D-4Bi with four basalt FRCM layers, internally embedded within the
repaired region, could not restore the original load capacity because of the lower axial
stiffness and failed suddenly by fracture of the tensile steel.
The use of one carbon FRCM layer in specimen D-1Ci, internally embedded with the
repaired region, was sufficient to restore 96% of the original load capacity but could not
restore the original beam ductility because of a premature fracture of the tensile steel.
The use of two carbon FRCM layers in specimen D-2Ci, internally embedded with the
repaired region, was necessary to fully restore the original load capacity and beam ductility.
The load capacity of specimen D-2Ce repaired with two carbon FRCM layers externally
bonded along the beam span was approximately 5% higher than that of its counterpart D-2Ci
repaired with the same number of FRCM layers but internally embedded within the repaired
region. Specimen D-2Ce failed suddenly by interfacial debonding at the mortar/concrete
substrate interface after yielding of the tensile steel.
The load capacity of specimen D-4Ci with four internally embedded carbon FRCM layers
was 9% higher than that of control specimen.
The use of a combination of carbon FRCM layers internally embedded within the repaired
region and externally bonded along the span (specimen D-2Ci-2Ce) was more effective in
improving the flexural response. This occurred because of the increased development length
of the externally bonded FRCM layers that delayed the onset of debonding at the
mortar/fabric interface thus allowing the beam to reach the concrete crushing strain and
develop its full flexural capacity.
 CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSION

Based on the above mentioned experimental studies we can conclude that FRCM is a viable
composite system in retrofitting corrosion damaged RC beams. The load carrying capacity is
effectively restored for the carbon and PBO FRCM retrofitted beams while the basalt fabric
failed to do so. While considering the ductility PBO fabric shows more ductile mode of
failure than carbon or basalt which have a brittle mode of failure. This is because of the
superior bonding character of the PBO fabric with the matrix. However PBO FRCM
retrofitted beams shows slightly lesser post yielding stiffness and ultimate load carrying
capacity than carbon FRCM retrofitted beams. Coming to the scheme it is advisable to use u
wrapped scheme which gives a wrapping effect to the strengthened beams and helps in
increase the load carriying capacity and also helps in delaying the delamination

To date, studies are very limited in the corroded RC beam retrofitted with FRCM, so further
studies are needed with different type of fabrics, in the bond performance at the mortar/fabric
interface of the fabric grids and also in the post repaired performance of the retrofitted beams.