Exploratory experimental study on flexural behavior of CFRP-reinforced concrete beams subjected to acidic loading effect

This article presents an exploratory study on the flexural behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-reinforced concrete beams subjected to acidic loading effect. To this end, an artificial acid rain with a pH level of 1.5 was prepared by mixing sulfate and nitric acid solutions. Eight reinforced concrete beams with/without carbon fiber-reinforced polymer applications were constructed and conditioned using the artificial acid rain. During conditioning, bending loads were applied to the top surfaces of the beams to simulate the acidic loading action. Three carbon fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement schemes (corrosion reinforcement, reinforcement corrosion, and cracking reinforcement) were considered. After conditioning, the length and quantity of initial cracks in the beams were recorded. A combined ultrasonic-rebound method was then adopted to measure the strength and corrosion depth of the concrete and evaluate the beams' integrity. Next, four-point bending tests were conducted to study the beams' flexural behavior. It can be concluded that all beams deteriorated with the increase of the corrosion time. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-reinforced concrete beams performed better than normal reinforced concrete beams under the acidic loading effect. The initial cracks can influence the flexural behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-reinforced concrete beams.