Experimental and numerical study of reinforced concrete specimens strengthened with composite plates

The present paper deals with the refined analysis of reinforced concrete specimens strengthened with composite plates and subjected to tension tests. A particular attention is paid to the characterization of cracks that develop in the concrete when tensile tests are carried out. A non-contact optical method based on image correlation is used to determine the displacement field onto the surface of the specimens during the tests. Both unstrengthened and strengthened specimens are tested in purely axial tension. The latter ones are first precracked, then repaired with composite plates bonded onto the concrete. The influence of the composite plates is studied in terms of distribution and width of cracks, especially in the vicinity of the composite. A model for the prediction of crack width in a repaired specimen is proposed. This model is validated by experiments and 3D finite element simulations. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.