Experimental study on NSM FRP shear retrofitting of RC beams

Abstract

The shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) members can be significantly enhanced with near-surface mounted (NSM) fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs). Although scant research has been conducted on the subject to date, this technique has proven to be highly effective and to feature a number of advantages over other strengthening approaches, either with FRPs or more conventional materials. This paper describes the experimental findings for trials with 17 NSM-CFRP shear-strengthened, rectangular cross-section beams. Each beam was tested twice, once at each end. The variables analysed in the study were: FRP type; angle of the NSM reinforcement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the beam, and spacing between FRP elements.