Rehabilitation of Reinforced Concrete Beams Exposed to Loss of Flexural Strength by Embedded Steel Bars with Numerically Confinement Steel Plate

A comprehensive nonlinear finite element analysis was conducted to investigate the rehabilitation of reinforced concrete beams that have suffered a significant loss of flexural strength. The proposed rehabilitation strategy integrates near-surface-mounted (NSM) embedded steel bars with externally bonded (EB) steel plate confinement, offering a cost-effective and mechanically reliable alternative to fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-based methods. Numerical simulations in ABAQUS assessed the effects of key parameters, including the number, length, and equivalent area of embedded steel bars, the confinement length of steel plates, the presence or absence of lap splices, the loading type, and the concrete compressive strength. Model validation against experimental data showed close agreement in ultimate load, deflection, and load–deflection response. Results demonstrated that NSM steel bars partially restored flexural capacity, while the addition of confinement steel plates substantially improved both strength recovery and deformability. Increased confinement length and continuous main reinforcement were especially effective, resulting in load capacities surpassing those of undamaged control beams. Repeated loading negatively impacted NSM-only systems, whereas NSM–EB rehabilitation achieved significant load recovery. Higher concrete compressive strength further enhanced load recovery but reduced deformation capacity. These findings establish that the combined application of embedded steel bars and confinement steel plates is an efficient repairing strategy for damaged RC beams.

کلیدواژه ها:

Flexural Rehabilitation ، Near-Surface Mounted Steel Bars ، Externally Bonded Steel Plates ، Steel Plate Confinement ، Lap Splice ، Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis ، Load Recovery