The process of rehabilitating reinforced concrete slabs using various materials such as steel bars, steel plates, textiles, and different types of geogrids

Abstract

This study involved conducting a comparative experimental investigation to explore various techniques for rehabilitating reinforced concrete slabs. The initial phase of the experimental program consisted of testing seven reinforced concrete slabs with dimensions of 450 × 50 mm and a length of 1000 mm under line load. These slabs were divided into three groups. G.1served as the control group, comprising solid slabs without any rehabilitation. G.2 included three slabs that were rehabilitated using different methods, such as reinforcement rebars, steel plates, and textile straps with dimensions of 450 × 50 × 1 mm in the short direction and 1000 × 50 × 1 mm in the long direction. G.3 comprised three slabs rehabilitated with various types of geogrids, namely uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial. To validate the experimental findings, a nonlinear finite element analysis (NFEA) was carried out using the Abaqus program. The test results indicated that the most effective, straightforward, and cost-efficient rehabilitation technique involved using an 8 mm diameter reinforced bar mesh, resulting in a 74.10% increase in load capacity and an acceptable level of stiffness. Slabs rehabilitated with steel plates and textile straps demonstrated load capacity increases of 4.32% and 9.35% respectively, compared to the control slab's ultimate capacity, while maintaining an acceptable level of stiffness. However, slabs rehabilitated with geogrids, particularly those using biaxial geogrid, exhibited load capacity increases of up to 15.83% compared to the control slab's ultimate capacity. The slab rehabilitated with triaxial geogrid demonstrated a load capacity increase of 7.91% compared to the control slab's ultimate capacity, along with an acceptable level of stiffness.