CATAPAT, STEPHANIE LOIS C.
BSCE 5 – 1 19 FEBRUARY 2020
PONIENTE, JOHN LLOYD E. CENG 116 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN STRUCTURAL ENGG.
I. INTRODUCTION
Cracks in concrete may accelerate the corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel, and
may reduce the service life and increase the maintenance cost of concrete structure. In addition,
due to the low tensile strength of concrete, the structural concrete elements deteriorate when the
concrete are subjected to extreme loadings, or react to corroded reinforcing steel. Thus, some
portions of the concrete components are separated resulting in a void that needs repairing. This
study evaluated and identified the retrofitted material properties that are essential for concrete
durability and recommended method is applied in selecting the retrofitting materials.
II. OBJECTIVES
To determine the different retrofitting techniques used for reinforced concrete slab.
To give example of different existing retrofitted slabs and discuss the kind of retrofitting
technique used in it.
III. BODY
Why do we strengthen or retrofit buildings?
Increase in the applied loads.
Mistakes or unsafe design.
Steel corrosion or insufficient number of bars
Cracks in concrete or stress less than design stress.
The settlement in the foundation is more than the allowable.
STRENGTHENING OF [Link]
In some cases, and due to increasing the applied loads on slabs or their unsafe design, or
corrosion of the reinforcing steel bars, or cracks in the slabs, one of the following solutions
should be made:
1. Cement grout - In the grout pouring technique the existing cracks from the slabs,
resulted from the excessive loading, are enlarged in width and in depth until the existing
reinforcement is exposed. Before the cement grout is poured into the enlarged extends
the exposed reinforcement and concrete surfaces must be cleaned using a steel brush,
compressed air and water jet.
CATAPAT, STEPHANIE LOIS C. BSCE 5 – 1 19 FEBRUARY 2020
PONIENTE, JOHN LLOYD E. CENG 116 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN STRUCTURAL ENGG.
2. Ferrocement covers - Ferrocement can be described as a type of thin composite
material made of cement mortar reinforced with wire meshes. The wire meshes are
uniformly distributed in continuous layers with relatively small diameters. The
ferrocement was used, in general, to replace the damaged concrete and reinforcement
(if also damaged).
- The steps of applying this technique consist in removing the concrete from the
cracked affected zone with the help of a concrete chisel and hammer. After that a layer of
galvanized welded wire mesh and a layer of skeletal steel are fixed with the original
reinforcement of the slab. The concrete surface must roughened before the additional
reinforcement is placed. The dimensions of the additional reinforcement result from the
design and technological restrictions. Finally the cement mortar is applied and left to cure
for 28 days.
CATAPAT, STEPHANIE LOIS C. BSCE 5 – 1 19 FEBRUARY 2020
PONIENTE, JOHN LLOYD E. CENG 116 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN STRUCTURAL ENGG.
3. Section enlargement - is one of the methods used in retrofitting concrete members.
Enlargement consists of the placement of reinforced concrete jacket around the existing
structural member to achieve the desired section properties and performance. The
main disadvantages of such system are the increase in the concrete member size
obtained after the jacket is constructed and the need to construct a new formwork. With
section enlargement slabs can be enlarged to increase their load-carrying capacity or
stiffness. A typical enlargement is approximately 5…8 cm for slabs.
The strengthening by section enlargement can be performed in two ways.
a) Strengthening by adding the new reinforcement and new concrete layer to the
bottom of the structural element.
b) Strengthening by adding the new reinforcement and new concrete layer to the top
face of the RC member. The general requirements covering the depth of the new
concrete layer are given.
- The stages in applying this method can be described as it follows: removal of the
deteriorated concrete, corrosion removal from the exposed reinforcement, surfaces
cleaning and preparation to ensure bonding with the repair material, replacement or
addition of the supplementary reinforcement, reinforcement protection (in some cases),
applying of the repair material.
CATAPAT, STEPHANIE LOIS C. BSCE 5 – 1 19 FEBRUARY 2020
PONIENTE, JOHN LLOYD E. CENG 116 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN STRUCTURAL ENGG.
4. External plate bonding - In the case of RC slabs strengthening this method is used to
augment the member’s bending resistance. Therefore, the steel plates or steel flat bars
can be applied to the bottom or upper faces of the reinforced concrete slab to ensure
the bending resistance (positive or negative bending moments zones).
One of the disadvantages of this method is that it can be applied only to the
relatively sound structures. In case of severe concrete deterioration and major
cracks of the RC member other methods should be considered.
The decisive factor for the effectiveness of strengthening in this method is given
by the quality of the contact layer between the concrete surface and the steel
plates or flat bars. The quality of the resin adhesives represents a fundamental
problem.
Design procedure is based on general principle concerning the concrete design
of glued joints or glue–bolt and glue–dowel joints. The basic assumption is that
the integrity of the plate-adhesive and adhesive–concrete interface is maintained
and that structural integrity prevails up to the expected pick load.
5. External post-tensioning - The technique is applied to RC slabs to correct the excessive
deflections and cracking. The repair system supplements minimal additional load to the
structure thus being an effective economical strengthening technique.
The post-tensioning forces are delivered by means of standard prestressing
tendons or high-strength steel rods, usually located outside the original section.
The tendons are connected to the structure at anchor points, typically located at
the ends of the member. End-anchors can be made of steel fixtures bolted to the
structural member, or reinforced concrete blocks that are cast in situ. The
desired uplift force is provided by deviation blocks, fastened at the high or low
points of the structural element.
Before the strengthening technique can be applied necessary repairs to the
structural members must be performed. The existing cracks must be repaired by
means of epoxy injecting or other known methods. If there are existing spalls
patching must be done, because this repairs must ensure that the prestressing
forces are distributed uniformly across the section of the member.
This method has been effectively applied in bridge rehabilitation, and in all the
cases it has chosen because of its advantages, being economical and requiring
less time to complete. The system provides active forces and therefore was
more compatible with existing constructions.
CONCLUSION
Each of these methods comes with a series of advantages and disadvantages. Some, like
section enlargement, add considerable permanent load to the structure and may need more
strengthening done to the other structural members. The external plate bonding technique and
external post tensioning are susceptible to corrosion damage which may lead to failure of the
strengthening system. All of the repair techniques are very effective in increasing the element’s
carrying capacity or at least restoring the structural performance of the concrete members before
deterioration. The selection of the most appropriate method to use will depend on several factors,
such as the amount of strengthening required, the location where strengthening is required,
architectural requirements, simplicity and speed of application, and total cost.
