Monitoring and Restrengthening of Real Sized Corroded RC Beams with Acoustic Emission Technique and GFRP Sheets

The study focuses on observing the behavior of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams of actual size having varying degrees of corrosion and restrengthening using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer. The observation is done using the local Acoustic Emission (AE) method while subjecting the beams to flexural loading. With the increase in the corrosion level, the RC beams indicated increased brittleness and reduced ductility as the steel area reduced drastically. Under flexural loads, AE monitoring of corroded RC beams clearly shows the various failure development stages from the start of cracks to the final failure. Changes in AE parameters, such as AE amplitude, perfectly correlate with the cracks developed in the RC beams before they appeared on the surface of corroded RC beams and the covered surface of repaired RC beams. Using the non-destructive technique of Acoustic Emission for corroded and restrengthened RC beams assists in assessing actual beams of the structure for analysis.