Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials are continuing to show great promise for use in strengthening reinforced concrete structures. These materials are an excellent option for use as external reinforcing because of their light weight, resistance to corrosion, and high strength. Externally bonded FRP sheets have been used to increase moment capacity of flexural members and to improve confinement in compression members. Investigations into the use of externally bonded FRP sheets for shear strengthening have also been conducted and have been shown to be viable. The objectives of this study were to review the current research on shear strengthening with FRP and propose design algorithms to compute the contribution of FRP to the shear capacity of reinforced concrete flexural members. Methods for computing the shear capacity based on the stress level that causes tensile fracture of the FRP sheet (at times this stress may be less than ultimate due to stress concentrations) and based on delamination of the sheet from the concrete surface are presented. Areas of research that have the potential for further development are also discussed.

Experimental data obtained from strengthened, precracked, reinforced concrete (RC) specimens are presented together with the results of material characterization. Strengthening was attained with the adhesion of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) sheets to the concrete surface. The CFRP was applied as in situ (i.e., working under the beam). Several variables were investigated, including: two CFRP material systems, two concrete surface preparations, two RC cross sections, and the number and location of CFRP plies. For two specimens, the presence of applied load (simulating the total service load) as well as external prestressing during the adhesion of the CFRP reinforcement, were investigated. It is shown that the effect of CFRP strengthening was considerable, but the effect of some of the tested variables was modest. An existing analytical model has been extended to simulate the load-deflection behavior as well as the failure mode of the precracked RC specimens. Different failure mechanisms from ductil...