Flexural behavior of concrete T-beams strengthened with fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix

This paper aims to examine the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM). A total of five reinforced concrete T-beam specimens were constructed and tested to failure under four-point bending. Test parameters included the amount of internal steel reinforcement and the length of the FRCM reinforcement within the beam span (0.95L and 0.6L, where L is the beam span). The FRCM was placed symmetrically around the midpoint of the beam. Installation of FRCM strengthening along 95% of the beam span improved the strength, ductility, and deflection capacity of the specimens. The strength gain caused by the FRCM strengthening was in the range of 13% to 16% for the specimens with the lower amount of internal steel. Specimens with the higher amount of internal steel exhibited lower strength gain of 9%. Decreasing the length of the FRCM from 0.95L to 0.6L insignificantly reduced the strength gain but compromised the beam’s ductility and deflection capacity.