In recent years, a modified method to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures has emerged involving application of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) in the ‘near surface’ of a member. The near surface mounted (NSM) method entails placing a pre-cured FRP bar, rod, strip, or plate, along with an adhesive into a pre-cut groove or slot in the cover of a member. Advantages of the NSM technique over externally bonded (EB) systems include minimal surface preparation and installation time, the ability to anchor the FRP into an adjacent member, superior protection from mechanical and environmental damage, and superior bond properties. Although a number of laboratory studies, field applications, and experimental field projects have employed the NSM FRP strengthening technique, none of these have been performed in a climate where cold environments and freeze-thaw cycling could cause adverse effects. This thesis presents the results of an experimental program to investigate the flexural and bond performance and freeze-thaw durability of a specific NSM carbon/vinylester FRP tape strengthening system through a series of tests on strengthened slab strips and a series of pull-out bond tests. The effects of adhesive type (cementitious or epoxy) and exposure condition (room temperature, freeze-thaw, sustained load, or freeze-thaw under sustained load) are examined. The results indicate no discernable negative impacts on the performance of the grout strengthened members after exposure to freeze-thaw cycles and/or sustained load. The slab strips strengthened with epoxy adhesive displayed minor changes in ultimate load (less than three percent) after exposure to freeze-thaw cycles or a period of sustained load, while the combined effect of freeze-thaw cycles and sustained load produced an average reduction in ultimate load of eight percent. The epoxy adhesive strengthened pull-out bond tests experienced a 27% average drop in ultimate load after 150 freeze-thaw cycles. These results suggest that additional research on the combined effects of sustained load and freeze-thaw cycling are warranted, particularly for NSM strengthening applications using epoxy adhesives. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-30 18:11:56.424

Ce travail concerne l’étude du renforcement de structures en pierres par matériaux composites. Deux techniques de renforcement sont utilisées. L’un s’agit de renforcement par matrice cimentaire renforcé avec de textile de fibre de verre TRC. L’autre est renforcement par barres de fibre de verre de FRP suivant la technique de NSM (near-surface mounted). La première phase consiste en la caractérisation des matériaux et l’analyse des comportements mécaniques en compression en cisaillement et en traction de petits éléments de maçonnerie composées d’un assemblage de pierre et mortier bâtard. Les valeurs caractéristiques du comportement mécanique de la maçonnerie sont comparées avec les différents modèles dans la littérature qui calculent les paramètres caractéristiques avec une bonne approximation avec les résultats expérimentales. En plus, le comportement de matériaux de renforcement sont testés en traction ainsi que le comportement de l’adhésion entre le renfort et la maçonnerie est étudié. La deuxième phase se concentre sur le renforcement de murs de maçonnerie soumis sur deux types de chargement. L’un s’agit de cisaillement dans le plan des murs effectué avec l’essai de compression diagonale. Le deuxième représente des charges de flexion à 3 points hors plan des murs accompagné par des forces de compression axiale qui provoque une contrainte de compression de 0.2 MPa. L’essai de cisaillement s’est réalisé sur des murs carrés de cinq rangées de pierres avec mortier. Le renforcement par deux barres verticales de NSM FRP améliore significativement la ductilité et le module de cisaillement des murs, ainsi que le renforcement avec deux couches orthogonales de TRC améliore la résistance au cisaillement. Enfin l’application de modèles analytiques a permet de comparer les résultats expérimentaux aux résultats donnés avec les modèles. En plus, l’essai de flexion à 3 points est effectué sur des murs composés de douze rangées de pierres avec mortier. Le renforcement avec deux barres verticales et deux barres transversales a plus augmenté la rigidité élastique. En revanche, le renforcement avec TRC composé d’une seule couche de textile accompagné avec une barre verticale de FRP n’augmente pas la résistance de mur par rapport à la résistance du mur renforcé avec une seule couche de textile ou avec une barre verticale seule / This work concerns the study of the reinforcement of stone structures with composite materials. Two reinforcing techniques are used. One is reinforcement by cement matrix reinforced with textile TRC of glass fiber. The other is by reinforcing FRP fiberglass rods according to NSM technique (near-surface mounted). The first phase consists of materials characterization and analysis of mechanical behavior in compression shear and tensile of small masonry specimens made of stone and mortar. The characteristic values of the mechanical behavior of the masonry are compared with the different models in the literature which calculate the characteristic parameters and give a good approximation with the experimental results. In addition, the behavior of reinforced materials is tested in tension and the behavior of the adhesion between the reinforcement and the masonry is studied. The second phase focuses on strengthening masonry walls subjected to two types of loading. One is in-plane shear of walls made with the diagonal compression test. Represents the second bending loads to 3 points out of plane walls accompanied by axial compression forces which cause a compressive stress of 0.2 MPa. The shear test was performed on square walls of five rows of stones with mortar. Strengthening by two vertical bars NSM FRP significantly improves the ductility and shear modulus of the walls and the reinforcement with two orthogonal layers TRC improves shear strength. Finally the application of analytical models used to compare the experimental results with the results given by the models. In addition, the bending test with 3-point is carried out on walls composed of twelve rows of stones with mortar. The reinforcement with two vertical bars and two crossbars increased more elastic stiffness. However, the reinforcement with TRC composed of a single layer of textile accompanied with a vertical bar FRP does not increase the resistance of the wall relative to the resistance of the reinforced wall with a single layer of textile or with a simple vertical bar

Prestressed hollow core slabs are essential components in structures such as bridges, parking garages, marine structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Material degradation and altered functional requirements may seriously threaten the structural integrity of these reinforced concrete structures. Using FRP composites, the NSM strengthening technique presents a viable solution to these challenges. However, further investigation is required to establish comprehensive empirical design guidelines. The intent of this research project is to investigate the NSM technique in conjunction with common design concepts such as prestressed concrete, precast hollow core slabs, the complex behaviour of disturbed regions, and fiber-reinforced composite materials. An experimental program was developed, which included eleven full-scale slab specimens, subject to a four-point load configuration. The main parameters included the prestressing reinforcement ratio, CFRP strengthening ratio, and in-service opening location. Experimental results showed that prestressed concrete strengthened in flexure with NSM-CFRP is a viable technique for lower reinforcement ratios.