Confinement of Corrosion Cracking in Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Laminates

A study was undertaken to examine the general behavior of reinforced concrete beams confined with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates subjected to accelerated rebar corrosion. Eight small-scale RC beam specimens, 1200 mm long with cross-sectional area of 100 mm by 150 mm, were constructed. Five specimens were strengthened with CFRP laminates using three different strengthening schemes. The tensile reinforcement, 2-10M bars, of six specimens was corroded to 10% mass loss by means of an impressed current. Strain gauges were placed on the CFRP laminates to monitor and quantify tensile strains induced by the corrosion process. The CFRP laminates successfully confined the corrosion cracking, and total expansion of the laminate exhibited a fairly linear and continuous increase throughout the corrosion process.