Analysis of RC beams strengthened by CFRP strips—Experimental and FEA study

In the paper the results of experimental and FEA study of simple supported RC beams strengthened by means of the CFRP strips are presented. The beams were tested to investigate the effectiveness of such strengthening in terms of their load carrying capacity. All beams were divided into groups which differed from each other by the level of applied load before application of strips on their bottom surfaces. The main goal of the study was assessment of effectiveness of strengthening at different preloading states. The beams then were analyzed by the Finite Element Method (FEM). The validation of the FEM models was performed and good agreement between experimental results and those obtained in numerical analyzes was observed.