Strengthening of Concrete Element with Precast Textile Reinforced Concrete Panel and Grouting Material.

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) has widely been used for strengthening work for deteriorated reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The structural strengthening often requires accelerated construction with the aid of precast or prefabricated elements. This study presents an innovative method to strengthen an RC slab-type element in flexure using a precast panel made of carbon TRC. A total of five RC slabs were fabricated to examine the flexural strengthening effect. Two of them were strengthened with the precast panel and grouting material and another set of two slabs was additionally strengthened by tensile steel reinforcement. The full-scale slab specimens were tested by a three-point bending test and the test results were compared with the theoretical solutions. The results revealed that the ultimate load of the specimens strengthened with the TRC panel increased by at least 1.5 times compared to that of the unstrengthened specimen. The application of the precast TRC panel and grouting material for the strengthening of a prototype RC structure verified its outstanding constructability.