Retrofit of Existing Concrete Beam-Column Joints Using Advanced Carbon-FiberComposites

摘要

The cost of retrofitting or replacing the deteriorated structures isastronomical. And although seismic upgrading is possible through traditional methods of repair, the rapid decay of new materials by the freeze/thaw cycle and road salts has forced the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to research alternative methods and materials for repairing corroded and deficient structures. One of the alternative methods is the placement of advanced carbon-fiber composite wraps around the areas of spalled concrete and corroded rebar. This composite wrap will not only aid in the prevention of natural and chemical deterioration, but also will add to the seismic capacity of structures. Research at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) (Seible, Hegemier, Priestley, Innamorato, Weeks, and Policelli, 1994) has shown that the performance of non-ductile concrete colums retrofitted with various composite wraps is comparable to that of steel jacketing. However, there remains a need to investigate the performance of the application of advanced carbon-fiber composites to typical reinforced concrete column/bent-cap joints. This study addresses the issue of retrofitting reinforced concrete column/cap joints with advanced carbon-fiber composites using full-scale laboratory specimens.