EFFECT OF USING ALUMINUM ALLOY PLATES FOR THE FLEXURE STRENGTHENING OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAM THROUGH MECHANICAL BOLTS

Abstract

The need to strengthen deteriorating reinforced concrete structures has increased. Because of its simplicity of application and structural strength, externally bonded reinforcement is a common approach for flexure strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. Some of the shortcomings make its usage limited, like surface preparation, skilled labor, installation time, and premature failure (debonding/delamination). This research topic studies the feasibility of using aluminum alloy based on the local availability for the flexure strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. Aluminum Alloy plates with anchor bolts have the potential to overcome these defects and can act as a suitable alternative for better strength and ductility. To explore the influence of the number of bolts on the type of failure of an aluminum-plated reinforced concrete beam, four beams have been cast with one control beam (CB) and three other beams having Aluminum Alloy plate with two, four, and six number of bolts attached each side to the bottom of the reinforced concrete beam respectively. Analysis of the experiments included examining graphs of load deflections, types of failure, overall ductility, and energy absorption capacity. Results indicate a 38% to 52.5% improvement in strength and a 27% to 74% decline in ductility over the control beam. The number of bolts at the end of the plate makes a more efficient anchorage system. Moreover, ACI 318 analytical models were employed to predict the flexural capacity of the tested specimens. The results obtained from these models were compared to the experimental findings, showing a close agreement between the predicted and actual values of 2% to 10%. This highlights the reliability and accuracy of the ACI 318 analytical models in estimating the flexural capacity of the specimens.