Experimental Study of Hybrid TRC-BFRP Strengthening for Shear Enhancement of RC Beams
Abstract
This study investigates the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams enhanced using textile reinforced concrete (TRC), basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP), and hybrid TRC-BFRP systems. The TRC used in this study is made of recycled tire rubber fibers and steel scraps from lathe machines. This makes the material more durable and improves its performance. Five beam specimens were subjected to three-point bending to assess their responses in terms of load-deflection, stiffness, ductility, and energy absorption. The results show that all strengthening methods considerably enhance the shear capacity relative to the control specimen. TRC and BFRP systems increased the ultimate load by around 60%, while the hybrid system increased it by about 93%. Furthermore, the hybrid strengthening exhibited high ductility and energy-absorption capability. The failure modes changed from brittle shear in the control beam to more ductile behavior in reinforced beams. The results indicate that the proposed hybrid system is an effective and durable strengthening strategy to enhance the structural performance of RC beams.