Shear and flexural strengthening of RC beams using BFRP fabrics

In a world in which the development of new technologies, materials and techniques plays a fundamental role, and the topic of sustainability is more relevant than ever, the application of eco-friendly Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymers (BFRP) to structural engineering represents an important area of research. Research and innovation in the field of composite materials have provided a large variety of fiber reinforced polymers to be used for structural strengthening and rehabilitation. This paper presents an experimental research carried out to investigate the effectiveness of BFRP for the strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. Seven concrete beams used as specimens were tested utilizing a four-point bending load scheme. The properties of the unidirectional BFRP fabric used were exploited in different ways to produce shear and flexural strengthening systems. The BFRP fabric proved to be effective for increasing both the shear strength and the flexural capacity of the tested beams. Significant improvement of the ductility of the specimens was obtained as well. A comparison between the results of the shear strength calculations from different design standards and the experimental results is provided.