Paper Contents
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental investigation on the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams with web openings using externally bonded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composites. Web openings, while necessary for service integration, compromise the structural shear performance. Eleven RC T-beams were cast and tested under four-point loading to evaluate the effectiveness of GFRP strengthening. Parameters studied included the number of GFRP layers, anchorage systems, and shear span-to-depth ratios. Results demonstrated that beams retrofitted with optimized GFRP layouts and anchorage showed up to 25.2% improvement in ultimate load capacity compared to control specimens. Failure modes, crack propagation, and load-deflection behavior are discussed, and recommendations for retrofitting shear-deficient RC beams are presented.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 Akanksha Adarsha. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
