Repair of flange damage steel-concrete composite girders using CFRP sheets

Damaged steel-concrete composite girders can be repaired and retrofitted by epoxy-bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets to the critical areas of tension flanges. This paper presents the results of a study on the behavior of damaged steel-concrete composite girders repaired with CFRP sheets under static loading. A total of seven composite girders made of I20A steel sections and 80mm-thick by 900mm-wide concrete slabs were prepared and tested. CFRP sheets and prestressed CFRP sheets were used to repair the specimens. The specimens lost the cross-sectional area of their tension flanges with 30%, 50% and 100%. The results showed that CFRP sheets had no significant effect on the yield loads of strengthened composite girders, but had significant effect on the ultimate loads. The yield loads, elastic stiffness, and ultimate bearing capacities of strengthened composite girders had been changed as a result of prestressed CFRP sheets, the utilization ratio of CFRP sheets could be effectively improved by applying prestress to CFRP sheets. Both the yield loads and ultimate bearing capacities had been changed as a result of steel beam's flange damage level and CFRP sheets could cover the girders' shortage of bearing capacity with 30% and 50% flange damage, respectively.