| Precast prestressed hollow core slabs are widely used for concrete structures all over the world. Since no shear stirrup arranged in PHC slabs, the shear resistance is only provided by concrete itself. In some cases, the slab could possibly be subjected to concentrated or line load. Thus, shear failure is likely to occur at the region close to supports. The objectives of this study include explore a new shear strengthening technique by externally bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer composite sheets to the internal voids surface of the slabs to enhance its shear capacity. Experimental tests and numerical simulations are carried out on full-size PHC slabs to evaluate the effectiveness of this new method. The studied parameters include the prestressing level, the length and the thickness of the applied CFRP sheets. Both experimental and numerical simulation results showed considerable shear capacity and ductility enhancement by applying this shear strengthening technique. |
