ABSTRACT

The application of an external bending reinforcement on a reinforced concrete beam will considerably influence the cracking behaviour of this beam, with potential benefits for the concerning serviceability limit state. This chapter presents an extensive experimental study of this influence and analyses the difference between the different reinforcing. It proposes the use of the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique to measure the crack pattern and its evolution. The DIC measuring technique proved a valuable tool to measure the cracking behaviour of externally reinforced concrete beams. The chapter shows that the Textile Reinforced Cements (TRC)-reinforced beams exhibit a similar crack pattern and evolution to the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)-reinforced beams, with the same number of cracks and a comparable crack width. Compared to CFRP strips and depending on the set-up and the failure modes, IPC TRC as a reinforcing material can offer several advantages related to the cracking and damage behaviour of a concrete beam.