Description
External steel plating is a popular technique for the flexural strengthening of RC beams thanks to the ease of application which does not require skilled labor, the relatively low-cost and the optimal mechanical properties of the steel material.
Research on externally plated RC beams is much older than the literature related to the strengthening methods employing fiber reinforced (FRP) materials which were more recently developed. Despite this, the number of FRP applications is far greater than those available for steel applications, as also corroborated by the widespread of several international guidelines for the FRP strengthening design of RC structures. Conversely, the in-situ applications with steel plates are still very common and often preferred to FRPs, but they are not well supported by clear design indications.
This paper contributes to filling this knowledge gap by presenting the results of a preliminary theoretical study on the flexural performance of steel-plated RC beams. To this purpose, a large experimental database was compiled from the literature, which includes three/four- point bending tests performed on rectangular or T-shape RC members variably reinforced with external steel plates. Then, the study focused on the theoretical estimate of the bending moment capacity of the beams under considerations. The analysis was performed by accurately accounting for the failure modes experienced during the tests which were also linked to the strengthening layout, such as: thickness, width and number of steel plates, presence of steel anchors along the plate or at its ends. Preliminary design indications are also provided.
