Investigation of a New Strengthening Technique for RC Deep Beams Using Carbon FRP Ropes as Transverse Reinforcements

The effectiveness of a new retrofitting technique to upgrade the structural behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams without steel stirrups using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) ropes as the only transverse shear reinforcement is experimentally investigated. Five shear-critical beams with rectangular and T-shaped cross-section are tested under monotonic loading. The strengthening schemes include (a) one vertical and one diagonal single-link CFRP rope that are internally applied through the web of the rectangular beam using an embedded through-section (ETS) system and (b) two vertical U-shaped double-link ropes that are applied around the perimeter of the web of the flanged beam using a near-surface-mounted (NSM) system. In both cases, the free lengths of the CFRP ropes have been properly anchored using epoxy bonded lap splices of the rope as NSM at (a) the top and the bottom of the web of the rectangular beam and (b) the top of the slab of the T-beam. Promising results have been derived, since the proposed strengthening technique enhanced the strength and altered the brittle shear failure to a ductile flexural one. The experimental results of this study were also used to check the validity of an analytical approach to predict the strength of shear strengthened deep beams using FRP ropes as transverse link reinforcement.