Feasibility of a novel system to prestress externally bonded reinforcement

The strengthening of concrete structures with externally bonded prestressed reinforcement has advantages compared to a passive system. The load bearing capacity is increased as well as the flexural stiffness. Prestressing allows to exploit the high tensile strength of the fibres of the external reinforcement. A number of systems are already commercially available, however their use is restricted as they are more expensive and show some practical inconveniences in use. In this paper, a novel system is presented and a feasibility study is carried out. The novel system aims to overcome the inconveniences of existing prestressing systems. The system has a reduced number of necessary operations and keeps a small distance between the concrete surface and the laminate. In the initial study presented, feasibility tests are carried out on simplified test systems and the design of the anchorage to the concrete and of the clamping system are discussed.