The Flexural Capacity of Composite Beams With External and Side-Mounted Plates

In the case of increased loading on an existing reinforced concrete structure, an effective method to strengthen the flexural members is to adhesively bond steel plates to the tension surface of the reinforced concrete flexural member, creating a composite flexural member. These plates can be bonded to various positions on the 2soffit, or side-mounted (SM) vertically to the reinforced concrete flexural members. This research study verified the mathematical model which predicts the flexural capacity of composite beams by comparing it to the results of the experimentally tested specimens. The results are within 1% for the EB and 3% for the SM composite flexural members. The experimental results indicate an increase of 63% in the flexural resistance of the EB and 53% in the SM composite members compared to non-strengthened reinforced concrete members. The experimental results also indicate that the flexural resistance of the EB member is 6% higher than that of the SM member.