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ABSTRACT In this thesis, the mechanical behavior of the
bonded patch method to strengthen the reinforced concrete
structural elements is investigated. The reinforced concrete
beams are strengthened with fiber composite plates epoxy bonded
to the tension face of the beams to improve the yield strength,
stiffness, flexural strength and ductility of the beam. In the
analysis, the following assumptions are made :(1) concrete and
steel are elastic-perfect plastic materials, no account of
strain hardening ,(2) The fiber composite plate is an elastic
material, no account of plastic behavior, The plate offer
tension after steel yielding,(3) The interface between beam and
plate is fully-composite, no slip between composite plate and
concrete plate ,(4)no slip between steel and concrete. The
finite element method is used to predict the elastic-plastic
behavior of the beams strengthened with fiber composite plates.
A parameter study is conducted to investigate the effect of
design variables such as plate length, thickness, stiffness, end
zone anchorage type, and concrete compression strength for
specimens with a relatively low reinforcement ratio. The
analysis shows good result for both shear failure and flexural
failure, and the fiber composite plates are suggested as the
best approach for beam strengthening.
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