Concrete reinforcement method using curved FRP reinforcements and inserts

Concrete reinforcement method using curved-groove FRP panels wedge-fixed to convex inserts to prevent splitting failure

This technology is a concrete reinforcement method that uses plate-type curved FRP reinforcements with curved grooves on the sides and inserts with matching convex parts. The inserts are first fixed to the concrete structure, and then the grooves of the FRP reinforcement are seated and attached.

When reinforcing aging or poorly constructed concrete structures or buildings built before updated seismic design standards, FRP reinforcement members were typically attached to the surface and secured at the ends with fasteners, bolts, or rivets, or anchored by drilling directly into the members. However, drilling into FRP is difficult, and when external forces are applied, high bearing stress between the fasteners and the holes causes brittle splitting failure of the FRP reinforcement.

This technology features expansion wings protruding from the opposite side of the insert, which is embedded into the structure by cutting installation grooves for the reinforcement and fixing grooves for the wings. The reinforcement can have alternating side grooves, thickened edges, or longitudinal surface grooves. The insert is further secured with anchor holes or embedded resistors, and the installation groove ends are covered. Applicable to seismic retrofitting of schools, flexural reinforcement of bridge decks and parking slabs, and repair of tunnels and underground structures, it eliminates the need for drilling, using the wedge action of the curved grooves to evenly distribute stress and ensure full reinforcement effectiveness without anchorage failure.

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Key Features:

• Preparing a plate-shaped curved FRP reinforcement and an insert with a convex part corresponding to the reinforcement's groove
• Securing the insert by seating its protruding expansion wings into the corresponding fixing grooves on the structure's surface
• Forming an installation groove on the concrete structure surface corresponding to the width, length, and thickness of the FRP reinforcement
• Positioning the curved FRP reinforcement so its grooves seat into the inserts to attach it to the concrete structure

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