ABSTRACT
Abstract A reliability study of concrete structures strengthened in flexure with externally epoxybonded carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates is the topic of this study. First, considering the statistical character of the design variables (geometry, material properties), the effect of changes in these variables on the flexural capacity of CFRPstrengthened members is established. Variabilities in concrete strength and CFRP failure strain and area fraction are found to influence the flexural strength most. Next, strength reduction factors are derived, aiming at achieving a uniform reliability index of about 3 over a broad spectrum of design conditions, and a general strength reduction factor 0=0.80 is proposed. Keywords: CFRP laminates, flexure, reliability analysis, strengthening of concrete.
