• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.407-413
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• 2011

This paper reports a novel structural health monitoring (SHM) technique for detecting de-bonding between a concrete beam and CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) sheet that is attached to the concrete surface. To achieve this, a multi-scale actuated sensing system with a self-sensing circuit using piezoelectric active sensors is applied to the CFRP laminated concrete beam structure. In this self-sensing based multi-scale actuated sensing, one scale provides a wide frequency-band structural response from the self-sensed impedance measurements and the other scale provides a specific frequency-induced structural wavelet response from the self-sensed guided wave measurement. To quantify the de-bonding levels, the supervised learning-based statistical pattern recognition was implemented by composing a two-dimensional (2D) plane using the damage indices extracted from the impedance and guided wave features.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.833-849
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• 2016

Pre-stressing of existing structures using steel cables, FRP cables or FRP laminates has been successfully tried in the past. Retrofitting of beams using pre-stressed laminates does not utilize the full strength of the FRP due to de-bonding of the laminates before the fibre fracture. In the present study attempt has been made to overcome this problem by replacing the FRP laminates by the FRP sheets. In the present paper the effect of initial damage level and pre-stress level on strength, stiffness, cracking behaviour and failure mode of girders retrofitted using pre-stressed CFRP sheets has been studied. The results indicate that rehabilitation of initially damaged girders by bonding pre-stressed CFRP sheets improves the flexural behaviour of beams appreciably. However, it has been observed that with increase in pre-stressing force the load carrying capacity of the girders increases up to a particular level up to which the mode of failure is fibre fracture. Thereafter, the mode of failure shifts from fibre fracture to de-bonding and there is no appreciable increase in load carrying capacity with further increase in pre-stressing force.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.289-298
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• 2022

In the present study, structural behavior of steel beams strengthened with CFRP strips and cables was investigated by a series of experiments. For this purpose, two groups of experimental studies were carried out: one for the beam series strengthened only with CFRP strips and the other for the steel beam series strengthened with CFRP strips and prestressed wires. From this test, it is found that the flexural stiffness and strength of the steel beams strengthened with CFRP strips and cables were significantly improved comparing to the un-strengthened one. Three failure modes such as sudden de-bonding, splitting and rupturing of CFRP strips were observed. The ultimate tensile strains of attached CFRP strips on the steel beams were noticed in the range between 8,000με and 11,000με, and this result disclose the perfect composite reaction CFRP strips and steel beams.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.597-616
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• 2011

With respect to rehabilitation, strengthening and retrofitting of existing and deteriorated columns in buildings and bridges, CFRP sheets have been found effective in enhancing the performance of existing RC columns by wrapping and bonding CFRP sheets externally around the concrete. Concrete columns and piers that are confined by both lateral steel reinforcement and CFRP are sometimes referred to as "hybrid" concrete columns. With the availability of experimental data on concrete columns confined by steel reinforcement and/or CFRP, the study presents modeling using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict the compressive strength of hybrid circular RC columns. The prediction of the ultimate confined compressive strength of RC columns is very important especially when this value is used in estimating the capacity of structures. The present ANN model used as parameters for the confining materials the lateral steel ratio (${\rho}_s$) and the FRP volumetric ratio (${\rho}_{FRP}$). The model gave good predictions for three types of confined columns: (a) columns confined with steel reinforcement only, (b) CFRP confined columns, and (c) hybrid columns confined by both steel and CFRP. The model may be used for predicting the compressive strength of existing circular RC columns confined with steel only that will be strengthened or retrofitted using CFRP.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.181-192
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to analyse and compare experimentally flexural behavior of RC beams strengthened with CFRP plates by different methods, and finally suggest the evaluation equations of flexural capacity of RC beams with the aim of application of prestressed CFRP strengthening. The experimental parameters are compressive strength, reinforcement ratio, prestressing level and strengthening methods. The non-prestressed specimens failed on account of separation of the plates from the beams due to premature de-bonding, while most of the prestressed specimens failed due to CFRP plate fracture. The evaluation equations of flexural capacity of RC beams is suggested and these equations have a good reliability in predicting flexural strength of RC beams.