Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams subjected to preloading forces and long-term loads: application of high strength concrete and steel fiber reinforced concrete

Author(s)

Andréa Prado Abreu Reis

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2003-10-24

Examining board members

Joao Bento de Hanai; Roberto Chust Carvalho; Mounir Khalil El Debs; Ricardo Leopoldo e Silva Franca; Ronaldo Barros Gomes

• Advisor: Joao Bento de Hanai

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of a study about the behavior of reinforced concrete T-beams rehabilitated using two different techniques. The first technique consists of the addition of longitudinal reinforcement embedded in a steel fiber reinforced highperformance mortar at the bottom face of the member. The second technique consists of rehabilitation by adding a thin overlay of high-strength concrete to the compression zone. The parameters analyzed to verify the possibilities of practical applications of these techniques were: the effect of a pre-loading acting on the beams during their rehabilitation, the differential time-dependent deformations (creep and shrinkage) between the new concrete and existing base, the mechanisms of resistance mobilized along the interface formed by old and new concrete or between pre-existent steel bars and added steel bars that are not involved by stirrups. Previous tests were carried out to make it possible to redesign the intervention adequately. Theses tests yield useful information about which type and volume of steel fibers need to be added to composite mortar to avoid the premature rupture of the strengthened beam caused by relative slipping between the layers of steel tensioned bars. These tests also give information about the viscoelastic properties of the materials used to manufacture the T-beams. The test results were analyzed and compared with the results of analytic models and numeric models based on the method of the finite elements. Based on this study, it can be stated that the proposed techniques are really efficient even if the beams are submitted to a pre-loading during the process of rehabilitation. Also, existing theoretical knowledge was organized to support the theoretical analysis of the rehabilitated beams, besides gathering useful information that can be explored in the definition of strategies and procedures of similar projects of rehabilitated structures (AU)