Behaviour of RC beams strengthened in shear using near surface embedded FRCM

This paper presents an experimental study on the efficacy of a lately introduced "near surface embedded" technique (NSE) for fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) for the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams in shear; considering two test variables: (a) fabric type (glass and carbon) and (b) strengthening configuration (intermittent versus full). For this purpose, five (5) simply supported medium-scale RC rectangular beams have been tested under displacement controlled monotonic three-point loading. The experimental results showed that the FRCM system is effective in strengthening of shear deficient RC beams. An average of 62% gain in the shear capacity has been achieved due to the FRCM strengthening system. Carbon FRCM owning the higher axial rigidity showed better performance than that of glass FRCM. The average gain in the shear capacity for carbon FRCM strengthened beams was 22.5% higher than that for glass FRCM strengthened beams. Moreover, full strengthening configuration showed better performance than that for the intermittent configuration counterparts confirming the significance of the FRCM continuity and its quantity in enhancing the shear capacity of the strengthened beams.