Rehabilitation of Shear-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Self-Compacting Concrete Jacketing

The application of a reinforced self-compacting concrete jacket for the structural rehabilitation of shear damaged reinforced concrete beams is experimentally investigated. Five beams were constructed and subjected to monotonic loading in order to exhibit shear failure. The damaged specimens were restored using relatively thin reinforced jackets and retested by the same four-point bending loading. The self-compacting concrete jacket applied, encasing the bottom width and both vertical sides of the initially tested beams (U-formed jacketing), has a small thickness (25 mm) and includes small (5) steel bars and U-formed stirrups. Test results and comparisons between the experimental behaviour of the beams indicated that the examined jacketing technique is a reliable rehabilitation method since the capacity of the retrofitted beams was fully restored or ameliorated with respect to the initial specimens. Discussion of the ability of the applied jacket to enhance the overall structural performance of the examined beams and, potentially, to alter their failure mode to a more ductile one is also included. Calculations of the flexural and shear strength of the tested beams and evaluation of the monolithic factors for the capacity at yield and at ultimate of the jacketed beams were also performed and are commented on.