Solid slab strengthening in reinforced concrete

Abstract

It is frequent to find buildings made of solid slab reinforced concrete that require strengthening, either because of a change in use or due to deterioration. In the latter case, this is fundamentally caused by corrosion of the reinforcement. Strengthening this type of structural element is more feasible than for those made of beams thanks to their greater resistance against all the effects derived from the shearing load. Therefore, the authors considered interesting the development of a research program that would evaluate the experimental behavior of different strengthening methods, from the most simple or immediate methods to others with greater intervention levels, also taking into consideration the use of special adhesive mortars. The results of the bending tests, carried out almost on a full scale, with five different strengthening procedures and the comparison of their theoretical calculation with the reference slab tests allow interesting conclusions to be reached. In some cases behavior is very good while others are susceptible to correction using the appropriate safety factor, and in some cases the load increase rate should be limited due to the strengthening becoming completely detached.