Behavior of reinforced concrete box beam with initial cracks repaired with basalt fiber-reinforced polymer sheet:

Cracking is a common form of damage in reinforced concrete beams. Cracks affect the stiffness and load-carrying capacity of beams. Fiber-reinforced polymers, as an affordable and efficient composite material, are being used more extensively to repair and strengthen conventional reinforced concrete beams. Although numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the behavior of undamaged and corroded beams repaired with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers or glass fiber-reinforced polymers, research on the behavior of beams with initial flexural cracks using basalt fiber-reinforced polymers as a restoration material is still lacking. Two 60-year-old cracked beams without repair and with repair using basalt fiber-reinforced polymers were experimentally and analytically investigated. The effect of repair on the load-carrying capacity, cracking characteristics, frequency, and stiffness of the beams was analyzed. The theoretical load-carrying capacity, midspan moment–deflection relationship, and strain distrib...