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 Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Composite Structures
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compstruct

FRP composites for shear strengthening of reinforced concrete deep beams

with openings
Tamer El Maaddawy a,*, Sayed Sherif b
a
UAE-University, Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 17555, United Arab Emirates
b
Structural Engineering Department, Al-Wasl Al-Gadeed Consultants, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper presents the results of a research work aimed at examining the potential use of externally
Available online 8 July 2008 bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sheets as a strengthening solution to upgrade
reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams with openings. A total of 13 deep beams with openings were con-
Keywords: structed and tested under four-point bending. Test specimen had a cross section of 80  500 mm and a
Concrete total length of 1200 mm. Two square openings, one in each shear span, were placed symmetrically about
Deep beams the mid-point of the beam. Test parameters included the opening size, location, and the presence of the
Openings
CFRP sheets. The structural response of RC deep beams with openings was primarily dependent on the
FRP
Strengthening
degree of the interruption of the natural load path. Externally bonded CFRP shear strengthening around
the openings was found very effective in upgrading the shear strength of RC deep beams. The strength
gain caused by the CFRP sheets was in the range of 35–73%. A method of analysis for shear strength pre-
diction of RC deep beams containing openings strengthened with CFRP sheets was studied and examined
against test results.
Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams are typically used in tall
buildings’ transfer floors and offshore structures. The presence of
web openings in such beams is frequently required to provide
accessibility such as doors and windows or to accommodate essen-
tial services such as ventilating and air conditioning ducts. Enlarge-
ment of such openings due to architectural/mechanical
requirements and/or a change in the building’s function would re-
duce the element’s shear capacity, thus rendering a severe safety
hazard. A number of studies have been reported in the literature
on the behavior and strength of RC deep beams with openings
[1–4]. It was concluded that increasing the opening size would re-
sult in a significant reduction in the shear strength. When such
enlargement is unavoidable adequate measures should be taken
to strengthen the beam and counteract the strength reduction.
Numerous studies reported a remarkable increase in the shear
strength of shallow RC beams when strengthened with externally
bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) system [5–7]. The gain in
shear strength caused by FRP was primarily dependent on the
number of FRP layers and the amount of internal shear steel rein-
forcement. The FRP shear strengthening system was found more
effective when the fibers were oriented in a direction perpendicu-
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +971 50 8310915; fax: +971 3 7623154.
E-mail address: tamer.maaddawy@uaeu.ac.ae (T. El Maaddawy).
lar to the potential diagonal shear cracks [5]. Externally bonded
FRP system was also found effective in eliminating the weakness
caused by the inclusion of an opening in the web of shallow RC
beams [8,9]. Very few researchers investigated the potential use
of externally bonded FRP system as an external reinforcement to
upgrade RC deep beams without openings [10,11]. Islam et al.
[10] reported up to 40% enhancement in the shear strength of deep
beams due to the use of externally bonded FRP system. Zhang et al.
[11] reported that the contribution of the externally bonded FRP
system to the shear strength decreased as the shear span-to-depth
ratio was reduced. Vertical FRP shear strengthening resulted in a
79% increase in the shear strength at a shear span-to-effective
depth ratio of 1.875 whereas only a 46% strength gain was re-
corded at a shear span-to-effective depth ratio of 1.25. This indi-
cates that the effectiveness of the FRP system decreases as the
beam behavior changes from a shallow beam action to a deep
beam action.
To the best knowledge of the authors, no technical data is cur-
rently available in the literature on the viability of using externally
bonded FRP sheets to increase the shear capacity of RC deep beams
containing openings. There is also a lack of specific guidelines for
shear strength prediction of RC deep beams with openings
strengthened with FRP sheets. The present research is then initi-
ated to examine the potential use of this technique as a structural
engineering solution to upgrade RC deep beams with enlarged
openings. Its purpose is to provide experimental evidences that

0263-8223/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2008.06.022
 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69
would aid practicing engineers and researchers to better under-
stand the interrelationship between the opening location, size,
shear strength, and failure mode of RC deep beams strengthened
with FRP sheets. Based on data published in the literature, a meth-
od of analysis for shear strength prediction of FRP shear-strength-
ened RC deep beams with openings was studied and examined
against test results.
2. Experimental program
2.1. Test specimens
A schematic of the test specimen showing the reinforcement
layout is shown in Fig. 1. The test specimen was 1200 mm long
with a rectangular cross section of 80  500 mm. The beam has
an effective span of 1000 mm giving an l/h ratio (span-to-depth ra-
tio) of 2. To ensure that deep beam action will develop, all beams
were tested under a shear span-to-depth ratio of 0.8. The beams
were designed in such a way to induce shear failure prior to any
flexural distress. The tension steel reinforcement consisted of four
No. 14 deformed steel bars each having a nominal cross sectional
area Ab = 154 mm2. The compression steel reinforcement consisted
of two No. 8 deformed steel bars with Ab = 50 mm2, each. Both ten-
sion and compression steel reinforcement had 90° hook at each
end to provide sufficient anchorage as shown in Fig. 1. The web
reinforcement consisted of No. 6 smooth bars, with Ab = 28 mm2,
each, spaced at 150 mm in both vertical and horizontal directions.
The vertical web reinforcement was in a form of stirrups whereas
the horizontal web reinforcement was longitudinal bars in both
sides of the beam. A clear cover of 15 mm was maintained at the
top and bottom of the beam whereas a clear cover of 10 mm was
maintained on the beam’s vertical sides. Reinforcement cages were
provided at the support points resembling end columns and thus
avoiding any local distress that would cause a premature failure
at these locations. All specimens had two square openings, one in
each shear span, placed symmetrically about the mid-point of
the beam (Fig. 2). The opening size was either 150  150 mm,
200  200 mm, or 250  250 mm which corresponded to opening
height-to-depth (a/h) ratios of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5, respectively. The
web steel reinforcement intercepted by the opening was cut prior
to casting to resemble the case of inclusion or enlargement of an
opening in an existing beam. The beams were cast in a horizontal
position using plywood moulds. Three 150  300 mm concrete cyl-
Fig. 1. Details of test specimen (unit in mm).
61
inders were cast with the beams to determine the compressive
strength.
2.2. Test matrix
The test matrix is given in Table 1. The specimens were divided
into three main groups, [A], [B], and [C] based on the opening loca-
tion. Group [A] composed of five specimens whereas groups [B]
and [C] had four specimens each. All specimens of group [A] had
openings at the mid-point of the shear span (Fig. 2a) so that they
fully interrupt the natural load path that is the line connecting
the bearing plates at the loading and support points. Three speci-
mens were kept unstrengthened whereas two specimens having
an opening size of either 200  200 mm or 250  250 mm were
shear-strengthened around the openings with externally bonded
carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The openings’ loca-
tions in specimens of groups [B] and [C] were selected not to inter-
rupt the natural load path or to interrupt it partially. The openings
of specimens of group [B] were placed at the face of the support
bearing plate at a distance 75 mm away from the top face of the
beam (Fig. 2b). Three specimens were kept unstrengthened
whereas one specimen with an opening size of 250  250 mm
was shear-strengthened around the openings with CFRP sheets.
For specimens of group [C], the openings were placed at the face
of the loading point bearing plate at a distance 75 mm away from
the bottom soffit of the beam (Fig. 2c). Similar to specimens of
group [B], three specimens were unstrengthened whereas one
specimen with an opening size of 250  250 mm was shear-
strengthened with externally bonded CFRP sheets.
2.3. Material properties
The 28-day concrete compressive strength was 21 MPa. The
longitudinal steel reinforcement was Grade 420 deformed steel
bars while the web reinforcement was Grade 300 smooth bars.
The CFRP fabric used to strengthen the specimens was unidirec-
tional with non-structural weaves in the transverse direction to
hold the fabric together. According to the data sheet provided by
the manufacturer [12], a dry CFRP fabric would have a tensile
strength of 3.45 GPa, an elastic modulus of 230 GPa, and an elonga-
tion at break of 1.5% The fabric was laminated to the specimens
with an epoxy resin having a tensile strength of 30 MPa and an
ultimate elongation of 1.5%. A cured CFRP composite sheet would
typically have a thickness of 0.381 mm, an average tensile strength
62 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69

Table 1
Test matrix

Group Specimena Opening location Opening External FRP

size(mm) strengthening
[A] NS-150-C Mid of shear span 150  150 No
NS-200-C Mid of shear span 200  200 No
NS-250-C Mid of shear span 250  250 No
FS-200-C Mid of shear span 200  200 Yes
FS-250-C Mid of shear span 250  250 Yes
[B] NS-150-T Top of shear span-near 150  150 No
support
NS-200-T Top of shear span-near 200  200 No
support
NS-250-T Top of shear span-near 250  250 No
support
FS-250-T Top of shear span-near 250  250 Yes
support
[C] NS-150-B Bottom of shear span- 150  150 No
near loading point
NS-200-B Bottom of shear span- 200  200 No
near loading point
NS-250-B Bottom of shear span- 250  250 No
near loading point
FS-250-B Bottom of shear span- 250  250 Yes
near loading point
a
NS and FS refer to no strengthening and FRP strengthening, respectively. 150,
200, and 250 refer to opening size of 150  150, 200  200, and 250  250 mm,
respectively. C, T, and B refer to the opening location that is center of shear span, top
of shear span-near support, and bottom of shear span-near loading point,
respectively.

2.5. CFRP strengthening system

The CFRP scheme used as external shear strengthening is shown

Fig. 2. Openings regimes: (a) group [A], (b) group [B], (c) group [C] (unit in mm).
of 894 MPa, a tensile modulus of 65.4 GPa, and an ultimate elonga-
tion of 1.33% (information was extracted from the manufacturer
data sheet [12]).
schematically in Fig. 4. It is necessary for the CFRP sheets to inter-
cept the potential shear crack so that they can contribute effec-
tively to the beam shear strength. Longitudinal CFRP sheets were
bonded to the concrete above and below each opening with fibers
oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the beam.
CFRP sheets with fibers oriented in the vertical direction were also
wrapped around the chords above and below each opening. The
bottom chord below the opening was fully wrapped with a CFRP
sheet having an overlap of about 60 mm, whereas a U-shaped CFRP
sheet was wrapped around the top chord above the opening leav-
ing a clear distance of 25 mm at the top of the beam to account for
a potential presence of a concrete slab. Vertical CFRP sheets were
then provided adjacent to each vertical face of the openings with
fibers oriented in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
of the beam to restrict the growth of any diagonal cracks that
might originate at the openings’ corners and to provide anchorage
for the longitudinal CFRP sheets above and below the openings.
3. Experimental results and discussion

2.4. Test set-up 3.1. Cracking behavior

The test set-up is shown in Fig. 3. All beams were tested to fail-
ure in four-point bending with an effective span of 1000 mm and a
shear span of 400 mm. A spreader beam was used to transfer the
load to the test specimen through two loading points 200 mm
apart. The corresponding beam deflection was monitored by
means of a linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT)
mounted at the bottom soffit of the beam at the mid-span.
20 mm thick steel bearing plates, each having a width of
100 mm, were placed under the loading points and at the supports.
The development and propagation of cracks were marked and the
mode of failure was recorded.
For the control unstrengthened beams diagonal cracks were
first observed at the opposite corners of the opening towards the
loading and support points. The cracking load was in the range of
31–51% of the ultimate load (Table 2). As the load was increased,
these cracks widened and propagated both ways towards the sup-
port and loading points. Successive application of the load resulted
in widening and extension of existing cracks in addition to initia-
tion of new diagonal cracks through the shear spans. In some
beams minor flexural cracks appeared prior to failure. From Table
2, it can be seen that the size and location of the opening had a
great effect on the cracking load. The cracking load decreased as
 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69 63

Fig. 3. Test set-up.

Table 2
Test results

Group Specimen Crackinga Ultimate Ultimate

load(kN) load(kN) deflection(mm)
[A] NS-150-C 85 205.2 3.2
NS-200-C 50 163.0 4.1
NS-250-C 40 106.6 5.7
FS-200-C – 270.6 5.2
FS-250-C – 182.0 5.4
[B] NS-150-T 110 260.2 2.4
NS-200-T 90 220.0 3.2
NS-250-T 60 127.6 3.8
FS-250-T – 219.4 6.3
[C] NS-150-B 105 291.4 3.0
NS-200-B 80 210.7 3.1
NS-250-B 70 137.9 4.1
FS-250-B – 186.6 5.7
a
Visual observation.

the opening size was increased. It was also dependent on the ex-
tent of the interruption of the load path by the opening. The crack-
ing load of specimens of groups [B] and [C] was on average 47%
higher than that of specimens of group [A] because of the lesser de-
gree of interruption of the natural load path by the opening. The
cracking load of the CFRP-strengthened beams could not be re-
corded because of the presence of the FRP sheets at the surface.

3.2. Failure modes

The control unstrengthened beams exhibited two distinct

Fig. 4. CFRP strengthening scheme (unit in mm).
modes of failure, Mode A or Mode B, according to the opening size.
Specimens with an opening size of either 150 or 200 mm exhibited
Mode A where failure occurred suddenly by a formation of two
independent diagonal cracks in the chords above and below one
of the openings thus splitting the beam into two separate segments
(Fig. 5). When the opening size was increased to 250 mm, the
beams exhibited Mode B in which failure occurred due to a relative
rotation of three distinct segments in the shear span of the beam as
shown in Fig. 6.
64 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69

Fig. 5. Failure mode A (unit in kN).

Failure modes of the CFRP-strengthened beams are shown in
Fig. 7. The strengthened beams failed suddenly by a formation of
two independent diagonal shear cracks in the opening chords
accompanied by a pull out of concrete from the U-shaped CFRP jacket
wrapped around the top chord. The CFRP sheets were neither torn
nor ruptured at failure in specimens FS-200-C and FS-250-C from
group [A]. For specimen FS-250-T from group [B], rupture of the CFRP
sheet wrapped around the bottom chord of the opening was ob-
served at failure. For specimen FS-250-B from group [C], the U-
shaped CFRP sheet at the top chord could not withstand the large
shear deformation caused by the diagonal shear crack, and hence de-
tached from the concrete surface at the onset of failure.
3.3. Load–deflection curves
The load–deflection curves of specimens of groups [A], [B], and
[C] are shown in Figs. 8–10, respectively. From these figures, it
can be seen that the beam behavior depended primarily on the
degree of interruption of the natural load path. Specimens NS-150-T
and NS-150-B where the load path was not interrupted by the
opening exhibited almost a linear relationship up to failure. For
all other specimens where the load path was partially or fully
interrupted by the opening, a non-linear load deflection response
was observed indicating a higher rate of crack initiation, widening,
and growth.
 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69 65

Fig. 6. Failure mode B (unit in kN).

3.3.1. Shear Strength
The structural test results are summarized in Table 2. From this
table, it can be seen that, for the unstrengthened beams, increasing
the opening size from 150 to 200 mm, with a/h values of 0.3 and
0.4, respectively, resulted in an average shear strength reduction
of about 21%. When the opening size was increased from 150 to
250 mm, with a/h values of 0.3 and 0.5, respectively, a 51% average
strength reduction was recorded. It is evident that CFRP shear
strengthening around the openings remarkably increased the
beam shear strength. For specimens of group [A], the shear
strength gain caused by CFRP sheets was in the range of 66–71%.
The highest strength gain (72%) was exhibited by specimen FS-
250-T from group [B] whereas specimen FS-250-B from group [C]
exhibited the lowest (35%). This is because of the fact that the ap-
plied shear forces are shared by the top and bottom chords accord-
ing to their relative cross sectional dimensions. Accordingly, most
of the applied shear forces were resisted by the top chord in spec-
imen FS-250-B with bottom openings, and by the bottom chord in
specimen FS-250-T with top openings. The bottom chord, that car-
ried most of the shear forces in specimen FS-250-T, was fully
wrapped with CFRP which effectively restricted the shear deforma-
tion in the bottom chord and eliminated any premature debonding
of the CFRP sheets. This allowed the beam FS-250-T to develop its
full shear capacity by rupture of the CFRP at the bottom chord
66 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69

Fig. 7. Failure modes of the CFRP-strengthened beams.

300 300
FS-200-C
NS-150-T
250 250

NS-200-T FS-250-T

NS-150-C 200
200
FS-250-C
Load (kN)
Load (kN)

NS-200-C 150
150
NS-250-T
NS-250-C 100
100

50

50
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 Mid-span deflection (mm)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Fig. 9. Load-mid span deflection curves: group [B].
Mid-span deflection (mm)

Fig. 8. Load-mid span deflection curves: group [A].

(recall Fig. 7), and hence the shear strength gain was a maximum.
The top chord that carried most of the shear forces in specimen FS-
250-B had a U-shaped CFRP sheet which was not as effective as the
full wrapping in resisting crack growth and shear deformation, and
hence the shear strength gain exhibited by the beam FS-250-B was
a minimal.
3.3.2. Beam Stiffness
For specimens of group [A], in which the natural load path was
fully interrupted by the opening, the stiffness of the beam reduced
 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69 67

350 in this section. Structural idealization of RC deep beams with open-

ings is shown in Fig. 11 [3,13]. The shear strength of RC deep beams
with openings strengthened with CFRP sheets, Vanl, can be esti-
300
NS-150-B mated by

250
V anl ¼ V c þ V sd þ V f ð1Þ
where Vc = contribution of concrete to shear strength, Vsd = contri-
NS-200-B
bution of tension steel to shear strength (dowel action), and
Load (kN)

200
Vf = contribution of CFRP sheets to shear strength. Eqs. (2)–(10)
FS-250-B
published in Refs. [2,3,13] were utilized to estimate the contribu-
150
NS-250-B tion of concrete, Vc, and that of the tension steel, Vsd. The inclusion
and/or enlargement of an opening in existing deep beams would re-
100 quire cutting of the web steel reinforcement intercepted by the
opening rendering no closed stirrups in each chord, and hence the
50 contribution of the web reinforcement to the beam shear strength
was ignored [8,9].
0 ðk1 k2 k3 Þcbh
Vc ¼ ð2Þ
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 sin b cos bðtan b þ tan /Þ
Mid-span deflection (mm) rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
fc0 fct
c¼ ð3Þ
Fig. 10. Load-mid span deflection curves: group [C]. 2
ðf 0  fct Þ
tan / ¼ cpffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ð4Þ
2 fc0 fct
as the opening size was increased. For example, at a 100 kN, about (
25% increase in the deflection of the unstrengthened beams was re- 1  K3K3 X2 Nh for K 3 X N < K 2 h
k1 ¼ ð5Þ
corded when the opening size was increased from 150 to 200 mm 2
for K 3 X N P K 2 h
3
with a/h values of 0.3 and 0.4, respectively. The beam stiffness re-  ax  ay 
duced drastically when the opening size was increased to 250 with k2 ¼ 1  1 ð6Þ
a/h value of 0.5. At a 100 kN, the deflection of specimen NS-250-C, 8 2X 1:2h
ex ey
with an opening size of 250 mm, was about three times the deflec- > ð0:85 þ 0:3 Xnet Þð0:85 þ 0:3 Y net Þ 6 1
>
>
>
< for Center of opening in the unloaded quadrant
tion of specimen NS-150-C, with an opening size of 150 mm. CFRP k3 ¼ ð7Þ
ey
shear strengthening around the openings resulted in a remarkable >
> ð0:85  0:3 Xenet x
Þð0:85  0:3 Y net Þ61
>
>
increase in the stiffness of specimens of group [A]. The stiffness of :
for Center of opening in the loaded quadrant
specimen FS-250-C, shear-strengthened with CFRP sheets, having
X net ¼ X N  ax ð8Þ
an opening size of 250 mm, was almost the same as that of the
unstrengthened specimen NS-200-C having an opening size of Y net ¼ 0:6h  ay ð9Þ
 
200 mm. The stiffness of the strengthened specimen FS-200-C, tan b tan /  1
V sd ¼ ðws As fy Þ ð10Þ
with an opening size of 200 mm, was even higher than that of tan b þ tan /
the unstrengthened specimen NS-150-C having an opening size
where As = area of tension steel, fc0 = concrete
pffiffiffiffi compressive strength,
of 150 mm.
fct = concrete tensile strength ð0:62 fc0 Þ [14], b = beam width,
The unstrengthened specimens of groups [B] and [C] exhibited
h = beam height, b = angle of inclination of the natural load path
less pronounced stiffness reduction when the opening size was in-
(Fig. 11), X = clear shear span, XN = nominal shear span, ax = width
creased from 150 to 200 mm. For example, at a 100 kN, the deflec-
of the opening, ay = height of the opening, ex, ey = eccentricities of
tions of specimens NS-200-T and NS-200-B with an opening size of
the opening (Fig. 11), K2, K3 = coefficients defining the opening loca-
200 mm were almost the same as those of their counterparts NS-
tion (Fig. 11), fy = 300 MPa for deformed bars and 130 MPa for
150-T and NS-150-B, respectively having an opening size of
smooth bars, and ws = 0.65 [13]. The shear force resisted by the
150 mm. This is because in these specimens the load path was
CFRP sheets is given by
interrupted partially as a result of increasing the opening size from
150 to 200 mm. When the opening size was increased to 250 mm, V f ¼ ðV ft þ V fb Þ ð11Þ
the load path was seriously interrupted, and hence a substantial
where Vft = shear force resisted by CFRP sheets intercepted the crack
reduction in the beam stiffness was recorded. At a 100 kN, the
in the top chord, and Vfb = shear force resisted by CFRP sheets inter-
deflection of specimens NS-250-T and NS-250-B, with an opening
cepted the crack in the bottom chord. The formula, originally pro-
size of 250 mm, was on average about 2.5 times that of specimens
posed by Kong and Sharp [1] and included in the CIRIA Guide [15]
NS-150-T and NS-150-B, with an opening size of 150 mm. CFRP
to estimate the contribution of the web steel reinforcement, was re-
shear strengthening around the openings resulted in a slight
fined and then adopted to estimate the contribution of a typical
improvement in the stiffness of specimens of groups [B] and [C].
CFRP sheet bonded to either the top or the bottom chord of the
For instance, at a 100 kN, the deflection of the strengthened spec-
opening (Eq. (12)). Previous research indicated that the contribution
imens FS-250-T and FS-250-B was on average 20% less than that of
of the horizontal CFRP strips to the shear strength of RC deep beams
their counterparts NS-250-T and NS-250-B that had the same
is negligible [11], and hence only vertical CFRP sheets bonded to the
opening size of 250 mm but were not shear-strengthened with
top and the bottom chords of the opening were considered in the
CFRP sheets.
analysis. It was further assumed that a vertical CFRP sheet would
not contribute to the beam shear strength if the height of the chord
4. Analytical modeling was less than 20% of the beam height.

A method of analysis for shear strength prediction of RC deep yi 2

V fi ¼ wf ð2tf Þðwf ÞðEf efe Þ sin a ð12Þ
beams with openings strengthened with CFRP sheets is examined h
68 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69

Fig. 11. Structural idealization of deep beams with openings [3,13].

where tf = thickness of the CFRP, wf = width of the CFRP strip, A comparison between the analytical and experimental results is
Ef = Young’s modulus of the CFRP sheet, efe = effective strain in the given in Table 3. It can be seen that the analytical model overes-
CFRP sheet, yi = depth at which a vertical CFRP sheet intercepts timated the shear strength of the unstrengthened beams with an
the shear crack, a = angle of inclination between a typical vertical opening size of 250  250 mm (beams NS-250-C, NS-250-T, and
CFRP sheet and the shear crack, and wf = 0.71 for full-wraps and NS-250-B). This is because these beams failed prematurely by
0.64 for U-wraps [16]. According to the ACI 440 [16], the effective rotation of three distinct segments in the shear span, and hence
strain in the CFRP sheet, efe, is given by they could not develop their full shear strength predicted by
 the analytical procedure (recall Fig. 6). For these specimens, the
0:004 6 0:75efu for full-wraps
efe ¼ ð13Þ ratio of the experimental to analytical shear strength was in the
kefu 6 0:004 for U-wraps
range of 0.72–0.86. This suggests that a strength reduction factor
k1 k2 Le
kv ¼ 6 0:75 ð14Þ of 0.7 should be adopted for unstrengthened RC deep beams with
11; 900efu
openings having an a/h valueP0.5 to account for a possible
23; 300
Le ¼ 6 df ð15Þ change in the mode of failure. The predicted shear strengths of
ðtf Ef Þ0:58 all other unstrengthened specimens, except one anomaly result
where efu = rupture strain of the CFRP sheet, kv = bond reduction of specimen NS-150-B, were within a 15% error band. The ratio
factor, Le = active bond length, and df = depth of the external CFRP of the experimental to analytical strength of all strengthened
sheet. The bond reduction factor is dependent on two other modifi- specimens varied between 0.92 and 1.34. The variation between
cation factors, k1 and k2, to account for the concrete strength and the experimental and analytical results of the strengthened beams
the CFRP wrapping scheme, respectively. may be attributed to the simplified assumptions used to esti-
 ð0:67Þ mate the CFRP contribution to the shear strength. Considering
fc0 the complexity of the problem, it can be stated that the analytical
k1 ¼ ð16Þ
27 procedure can give reasonable shear strength prediction for RC
df  Le deep beams containing openings shear-strengthened with CFRP
k2 ¼ ð17Þ
df sheets.

Table 3
Comparison between analytical and experimental results

Specimen Experimental Analytical Ratio (Vexp/Vanl)

Vexp(kN) Vc(kN) Vsd(kN) Vf(kN) Vanl(kN)
NS-150-C 102.60 52.13 40.36 – 92.49 1.11
NS-200-C 81.50 41.19 40.36 – 81.55 1.00
NS-250-C 53.30 31.54 40.36 – 71.90 0.74
FS-200-C 135.30 41.19 40.36 19.73 101.28 1.34
FS-250-C 91.00 31.54 40.36 26.80 98.70 0.92
NS-150-T 130.10 85.36 40.36 – 125.72 1.03
NS-200-T 110.00 65.30 40.36 – 105.66 1.04
NS-250-T 63.80 47.89 40.36 – 88.25 0.72
FS-250-T 109.70 47.89 40.36 19.57 107.82 1.02
NS-150-B 145.70 64.83 40.36 – 105.19 1.39
NS-200-B 105.35 51.61 40.36 – 91.97 1.15
NS-250-B 68.95 39.74 40.36 – 80.10 0.86
FS-250-B 93.30 39.74 40.36 2.40 82.50 1.13
 T. El Maaddawy, S. Sherif / Composite Structures 89 (2009) 60–69
5. Conclusions
The potential use of externally bonded CFRP sheets for shear
strengthening of RC deep beams with openings was examined in
this paper. Based on test results the following conclusions can be
drawn:
 The failure mode of unstrengthened RC deep beams with open-
ings was dependent primarily on the opening size. Specimens
with an opening size of either 150 or 200 mm with a/h values
of 0.3 and 0.4, respectively, failed suddenly by a formation of
two independent diagonal shear cracks in the chords above
and below the opening. For the specimens with an opening size
of 250 mm (a/h = 0.5), the failure occurred in a gradual manner
due to a relative rotation of three distinct segments of the beam
in the shear span.
 The CFRP shear-strengthened RC deep beams with openings
failed suddenly due to a formation of diagonal shear cracks in
the top and bottom chords of the opening. In all strengthened
beams, the concrete was pulled out from the U-shaped CFRP
jacket wrapped around the top chord of the opening. The shear
failure was accompanied by rupture of the CFRP sheet wrapped
around the bottom chord for the beam with top openings. For
the beam with bottom openings, the U-shaped CFRP sheet
wrapped around the top chord was detached from concrete sur-
face at the onset of failure. Neither rupture nor debonding of the
CFRP sheets was observed for the beams having openings at the
mid-point of the shear span.
 For the unstrengthened beams, increasing the opening size from
150 to 200 mm, with a/h values of 0.3 and 0.4, respectively,
resulted in an average shear strength reduction of about 21%.
An average strength reduction of 51% was recorded when the
opening size was increased from 150 to 250 mm with a/h values
of 0.3 and 0.5, respectively.
 CFRP shear strengthening around the openings of RC deep
beams remarkably increased the beam strength. The shear
strength gain caused by CFRP sheets was in the range of 66–
71% when the opening was located at the mid-point of the shear
span. The shear strength gain was a maximum (72%) when the
opening was located at the top of the beam where most of the
shear force was carried by the bottom chord that was fully
wrapped with CFRP. Only a strength gain of 35% was recorded
for the beam with bottom openings because most of the shear
force was carried by the top chord that had a U-shaped CFRP
sheet.
 CFRP shear strengthening around the opening resulted in a
remarkable increase in the stiffness when the opening was
located at the mid-point of the shear span. The stiffness of the
strengthened specimen having an opening size of 250 mm (a/
h = 0.5) was almost the same as that of a similar unstrengthened
specimen having an opening size of 200 mm (a/h = 0.4). CFRP
shear strengthening increased the stiffness of the specimen with
an opening size of 200 mm (a/h = 0.4) to a level even higher than
that of a similar unstrengthened specimen having an opening
View publication stats
69
size of 150 mm (a/h = 0.3). Only a slight improvement in the
stiffness due to CFRP shear strengthening was recorded when
the opening was located at the top or bottom of the beam.
 Based on the published literature, a method of analysis for shear
strength prediction of RC deep beams with openings strength-
ened with CFRP sheets was examined. A comparison between
the experimental and analytical results indicated that the ana-
lytical procedure can give reasonable prediction for the shear
strength of RC deep beams with openings shear-strengthened
with CFRP sheets.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their appreciation to the Re-
search Affairs at the UAE-University for the financial support of this
project under fund grant # 02-01-7-11/08. The authors would like
to thank the Undergraduate Research Assistants and the Labora-
tory Specialists at the UAE-University for their help throughout
testing.
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