REPAIR OF CONCRETE MASONRY RLOCK WALLS USING CARBON FIBER

摘要

The University of South Florida has embarked on an outdoor test program to investigate the feasibility of using uni-directional carbon fiber sheets for repairing settlement damaged block walls used in home construction. For the initial phase of the study, four 200 mm (8 in.) thick concrete block walls each 2.44 m (8 ft) high and 6.1 m (20 ft) long have been designed and built. Vertical steel reinforcement has been varied to meet past and present requirements of the Standard Building Code. In the testing, the walls are subjected to simulated foundation settlement to replicate observed cracking and then repaired by bonding carbon fiber tow sheets on only one wall face. The repaired walls are then loaded identically to assess the efficacy of the repair. Preliminary results are very encouraging and suggest that this technique may be economically viable for repairing damaged homes.