Behaviour of stainless steel wire mesh strengthened reinforced concrete flanged beams under pure torsion

Strengthening existing concrete structures contributes to reduced reconstruction efforts and conservation of natural resources. Advanced composite materials are increasingly employed to strengthen concrete structures to satisfy changes in serviceability characteristics, modified analysis, and design philosophies. Among the various options, Stainless Steel Wire Mesh (SSWM) has emerged as a promising material for strengthening Reinforced Concrete (RC) structural elements. The present experimental study investigates the effectiveness of SSWM for enhancing the torsional performance of RC flanged beams. 12 RC flanged beam specimens made of M25 grade concrete are prepared. The cross-section of each T-shape RC beam specimen has a 225 mm wide and 50 mm deep flange and a 100 mm wide and 150 mm deep web, with a total length of 1300 mm. Ten T-beams are strengthened using five different SSWM wrapping configurations, while two unstrengthened beams are considered as control specimens and tested under pure torsional load. The torsional moment and angle of twist at the initial crack and peak torque stages, strain at critical locations, energy absorption capacity, strength index and torsional ductility index of SSWM strengthened specimens are compared with that of the control specimen. The results show that beams strengthened with SSWM, particularly specimens with corner and vertical strip above the stirrups configurations, exhibited significantly enhanced peak torque, corresponding twist and improved failure behaviour compared to control specimens and specimens strengthened with other SSWM wrapping configurations.