Numerical study on retrofit and strengthening performance of sprayed fiber reinforced polymer

Recent experimental results have demonstrated the great advantages in using composites in a more innovative manner, the use of composites in a spray gun, for strengthening and rehabilitating structures. The results showed that the sprayed fiber reinforced polymer (SFRP) was capable of substantially increasing the load capacity, ductility and energy absorbing capacity of concrete structures, and was effective in strengthening and repair of damaged concrete structures. This paper presents the results of numerical studies conducted on damaged reinforced concrete beams and bridge superstructures coated with SFRP to evaluate the retrofit and strengthening performance of SFRP. A computational model is developed by implementing a damage constitutive model in a finite element code to predict the performance of SFRP retrofitted concrete structures during service. Numerical simulations based on the model are compared with experimental data to assess the predictive capability of the proposed model. This study, in conjunction with the previous experimental observations, will accelerate the introduction of SFRP to infrastructure rehabilitation.