Efficiency of Shear Strengthening of RC Beams with Externally Bonded FRP Materials – State-of-The-Art in the Experimental Tests

Abstract This paper presents a study of the shear capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded (EB) fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, based on the performance of existing published tests. The main objective of this study is to create a comprehensive overview of the performance of different shear strengthening configurations and the failure modes observed in experimental tests. In addition, the influence of the following parameters on the strengthening efficiency has been analyzed: shear span to depth ratio (a/d), existing steel transverse reinforcement ratio (ρsw), concrete strength (fck), size effect (d), longitudinal reinforcement ratio (ρsL), strengthening configurations, type of FRP: sheets or laminates (CFRP, GFRP), and FRP axial stiffness (AfEf).