Strengthening steel sections using carbon fibre reinforced polymers laminates

The maintenance and rehabilitation of existing structures is a large proportion of the work tendered in the construction industry today. Fibre reinforced polymers are a new innovative material that can be used for strengthening and repairing deteriorating structures. Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) have been identified as the most suitable for the majority of structural applications. In this paper, a series of tests were performed on the two different classifications of steel sections. The sections with epoxy bonded CFRP laminates were tested. All beams were loaded to failure under four point bending. The study indicated that CFRP laminates could significantly enhance the structural capabilities of slender steel section by preventing local buckling. The modes of failure for all the composite sections are either debonding of the CFRP due to failure of the epoxy or rupture of the CFRP laminates.