Most historic buildings have masonry foundations or chimneys, masonry exterior walls and decorative masonry embellishments. Although generally considered maintenance free, masonry is subject to deterioration. Maintenance is essential in order to achieve a permanent and long lasting façade. Lack of proper maintenance and repair can be attributed to the decay or demise of many historic and modern masonry structures. Protection from water damage, atmospheric and environmental staining, seismic stabilization and coating maintenance, can greatly extend the life cycle of historic and modern masonry structures. Common misconceptions concerning maintenance and repair can significantly increase costs, and increase the frequency of repairs.
Reasons to Strengthen Concrete Structures
- Change of building use
- Increased live and wheel loads
- Installation of heavy machinery
- Modifications to a building such as elimination of walls/columns or openings cut through slabs
- Code changes
- Structural damage
- Corrosion of steel reinforcements
- Errors in design or construction
FRP Composite Materials
- Carbon Fiber Strips
- Carbon Fiber Fabrics
- Glass Fiber Fabrics
- Carbon and Glass Fiber Rods
Advantages
- Lightweight
- Non-corrosive
- Very high tensile strength
- Easy to handle
- Low in place installation costs
- Minimal or no structure downtime
- Economical
FRP Applications
- Columns and tanks – confinement/flexure/ shear strengthening
- Beams – Flexure/shear strengthening
- Slabs – flexure/bending moment strengthening
- Walls – in and out of plane strengthening
