Saman Babaeidarabad

Flexural Strengthening of RC Beams with an Externally Bonded Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix

AbstractConcrete structures deteriorate for various reasons and upgrading is needed to ensure their continued safe working conditions. Retrofitting reinforced concrete (RC) beams have been accomplished using various techniques, namely, steel plates, external posttensioning, externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), and near-surface-mounted FRP systems to increase flexural and shear capacity. The objective of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of fabric-reinforced cementitious-matrix (FRCM) materials as an alternative external strengthening technique for RC members. The FRCM is a composite material consisting of one or more layers of cement-based matrix reinforced with dry-fiber fabric. The experimental program consists of testing 18 RC beams strengthened in flexure with two different FRCM schemes (one and four reinforcement fabrics). An analysis and design are conducted following the well-established formulation to calculate the flexural capacity of the beams and compare their results wi...

Out-of-Plane Behavior of URM Walls Strengthened with Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix Composite

AbstractThe use of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls is common practice in different types of construction, such as interior or exterior walls. URM walls are typically deficient in flexural capacity when subjected to out-of-plane loading caused by high wind pressure or earthquakes. Retrofitting masonry walls with novel materials, such as fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, has shown enhancement of the flexural capacity and pseudoductility. This study evaluates the feasibility of fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) as an alternative external strengthening technology to improve out-of-plane behavior of URM walls. This paper reports experimental results on flexural capacity of nine clay brick walls of which six were strengthened with two different amounts of FRCM, namely one and four reinforcement fabrics. Experimental evidence shows significant improvements in the structural performance in terms of flexural capacity and stiffness of the strengthened walls. An analysis, disregarding arching ef...

URM Walls Strengthened with Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix Composite Subjected to Diagonal Compression

AbstractUnreinforced masonry (URM) walls have been constructed for the past millennia and are still widely used today. URM walls have proven to have low shear strength and are prone to brittle failure when subjected to in-plane loads caused by earthquake or wind. Retrofitting URM walls is accomplished internally and externally using current techniques, such as placing steel bars in the cavities and grouting, posttensioning with steel tendons, stitching, and adhering fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) to increase capacity and enhance pseudoductility. In this study, a fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) system is applied to URM walls to determine its feasibility as an alternative external strengthening technology. The experimental program consists of testing a total of nine clay brick walls under diagonal compression. Two FRCM strengthening reinforcement schemes are applied, namely, one and four reinforcement fabrics. An analytical model is used to calculate the shear capacity of strengthened URM wall...