Fatigue performance of near-surface mounted CFRP strips embedded in concrete girders using cementitious adhesive made with graphene oxide

In this study, the flexural performance and effectiveness of the use of innovative high-strength self compacting non-polymer cementitious adhesive (IHSSC-CA) for the strengthening and repair of reinforced concrete (RC) beams using the near-surface mounted (NSM) carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) technique under fatigue loading was investigated, with the purpose of improving the serviceability of these RC beams. Cementitious materials with graphene oxide were used to produce the IHSSC-CA. The effect of fatigue loading on the behaviour of all tested beams was assessed by monitoring the deflection, crack widths and strain in concrete, steel reinforcement and CFRP strips during fatigue loading. An analytical model is also proposed to predict the cumulative damage-fatigue life relationship. The test results show that using cement-based adhesive (IHSSC-CA) could represent an excellent alternative to epoxy adhesive, as it improves the serviceability of NSM CFRP-strengthened and repaired RC members. Moreover, the proposed damage accumulation-fatigue life model shows good agreement with the experimental results and can be used in the design of RC members strengthened and repaired with NSM CFRP using IHSSC-CA and epoxy adhesives. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.