Description

Prestressed hollow core slabs are essential components in structures such as bridges, parking garages, marine structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Material degradation and altered functional requirements may seriously threaten the structural integrity of these reinforced concrete structures. Using FRP composites, the NSM strengthening technique presents a viable solution to these challenges. However, further investigation is required to establish comprehensive empirical design guidelines. The intent of this book is to investigate the NSM technique in conjunction with common design concepts such as prestressed concrete, precast hollow core slabs, the complex behaviour of disturbed regions, and fiber-reinforced composite materials. An experimental program was developed, which included eleven full-scale slab specimens, subject to a four-point load configuration. The main parameters included the prestressing reinforcement ratio, CFRP strengthening ratio, and in-service opening location. Experimental results showed that prestressed concrete strengthened in flexure with NSM-CFRP is a viable technique for lower reinforcement ratios.