Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Composite Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer System

The evaluation of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) dowel anchorages tested under cyclic loads is remarkably narrowed due to the lack of related investigations. Therefore, this research focuses on the study of eight full-size cantilever beams strengthened with a CFRP system composed of longitudinal bands and an anchoring system (transversal anchoring wraps, and dowel anchorages at the fixed end). The study aims to focus on flexural resistance, ductility, stiffness variation, energy dissipation, and failure modes. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the anchoring system used with another anchoring system study was made to evaluate its effectiveness. An increase in the flexural resistance was registered, while the ductility indexes were decreased. Specimens with higher steel and CFRP ratios had higher elastic stiffness and a smoother rate of stiffness degradation. Furthermore, the anchoring system used showed a lower increase in flexural resistance and higher ductility than the reference anchoring system.