article · Engineering Structures
Bends in reinforced concrete stair beams subjected to sagging moments can suffer damage from deficient design detailing or poor construction, creating a need for structural repair. Experimental and numerical investigations evaluated flexural strengthening methods for these stair beams using near-surface mounted steel bars and externally bonded steel plates. The experimental programme tested six full-scale reinforced concrete stair beams up to collapse, incorporating steel bars, steel sheets, and stainless-steel plates. A nonlinear finite element model built in ABAQUS simulated the structural behaviour of the tested beams. The findings show that both strengthening methods effectively increase cracking loads, ultimate load capacities, and energy absorption capabilities. Furthermore, the numerical simulations achieved strong agreement with experimental results, demonstrating the model reliability for conducting future parametric studies on reinforced concrete stair beam performance.
Staircases are critical structural components, yet detailing or construction flaws can cause beams to fail under sagging moments. Demonstrating that steel plates and bars can restore structural integrity provides engineers with validated repair techniques. Understanding how these interventions increase load-bearing capacity and energy absorption helps maintain building safety and avoid costly full replacements of damaged concrete staircases.
The research demonstrates applied and tested retrofitting techniques for civil engineering contractors, structural repair specialists, and building maintenance teams. By validating methods that use near-surface mounted bars or externally bonded plates on full-scale components, the work supports direct deployment in concrete remediation projects. Additionally, the verified numerical model provides structural design firms with a validated tool to conduct further parametric evaluations for tailored engineering solutions.
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The bends under sagging moments in a Reinforced Concrete Stair Beam (RCSB) in staircases may be damaged because of improper detailing design or construction; therefore, they need to be strengthened or repaired. The structural behavior of strengthened RCSBs has not been investigated adequately. This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural strengthening of RCSBs with bends under sagging moments. Tests on RCSBs were undertaken that were strengthened by using either the Near-Surface Mounted Steel Bars (NSMSBs) or the Externally Bonded Steel Plates (EBSPs). Three steel materials were employed, including Steel Bars (SBs), Steel Sheets (SSs) and Stainless-Steel Plates (SSPs). The test program and outcomes are described in detail of six full-scale strengthened RCSBs loaded up to collapse. A finite element model is developed employing ABAQUS to simulate the performance of the tested RCSBs. It is found that the utilized strengthening techniques effectively enhance both the cracking and ultimate loads in addition to the energy absorption capacity. The agreement between simulations and experiment is good, suggesting that the model of nonlinear finite element analysis can be used with confidence to perform further parametric instigations.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.117037
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