Shear repair and strengthening of reinforced concrete beams by fibreglass plate bonding

Abstract

Structures are designed and constructed for a pre-determined purpose, as defined in an initial brief. The science of Structural Engineering is concerned with providing alternative solutions within the parameters of time, efficiency, capital investment, maintenance and public safety. Lately, both legislation and awareness campaigns by insurance companies and similar organizations stress the need for continuous maintenance to avoid jeopardizing public safety. Leading professional institutions have drafted recommendations for the adoption of a system of regular inspections, maintenance, repairing and strengthening of structures, four domains which should be considered as essential components of a single programme which has to be adopted for every structure. Emphasis is being shed on proper periodical inspection to detect defects and faulty behavior of entire structures and their individual components, and assess the effects of ageing and weathering. Moreover, regular inspections most often imply an early recognition of the structural problem, which eventually results in greater economic savings. Appropriate maintenance can then be implemented to prevent further deterioration, /and possible failure, and to restore and enhance the structural design life. The field of structural maintenance and repair is a relatively new branch of structural engineering, and although it is emerging very rapidly, most of the systems being developed are still in their experimental stage, and are invariably very expensive. This means that the choice of method to be adopted, does not only depend on the technical and practical requirements of the particular case, but also on the economic aspect of the solution.