Using Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Precast Panels for Strengthening in Shear of Beams: An Experimental and Analytical Investigation

In this paper, the performances of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear with steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) panels are investigated through experiment, analytical computation, and numerical analysis. An experimental program of RC beams strengthened by using SFRC panels, which were attached to both sides of the beams, is carried out to investigate the effects of fiber volume fraction, connection type, and number and diameter of bolts on the structural responses of the retrofitted beams. The current shear resisting model is also employed to discuss the test data considering shear contribution of SFRC panels. The experimental results indicate that the shear effectiveness of the beams strengthened by using SFRC panels is significantly improved. A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis adopting ABAQUS is also conducted to simulate the beams strengthened in shear with SFRC panels. The investigation reveals the good agreement between the experimental and analytical results in terms of the mechanical behaviors. To complement the analytical study, a parametric study is performed to further evaluate the influences of panel thickness, compressive strength of SFRC, and bolt pattern on the performances of the beams. Based on the numerical and experimental analysis, a shear resisting model incorporating the simple formulation of average tensile strength perpendicular to the diagonal crack of the strengthened SFRC panels is proposed with the acceptable accuracy for predicting the shear contribution of the SFRC system under various effects.