Experimental and numerical analyses of RC beams retrofitted with ferrocement

• Retrofitting with ferrocement and one bar raised beam strength by 81.8 %. • Finite element model accurately reflected experimental beam behavior. • Adding more than one tension bar led to early shear failure without yielding. This study investigates the structural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with ferrocement jackets incorporating longitudinal steel reinforcement. It addresses the detrimental effects of the application of single ferrocement (i.e., no additional steel bars) for strengthening the RC beams that have been stated in the first batch of the entire author’s study. An experimental program was conducted on five beams, including two reference specimens and three ferrocement-strengthened specimens. Finite element modeling (FEM) was also performed and validated against experimental results. The results show that the performance of retrofit beams improves significantly when sufficient tension bars are provided in the ferrocement jacket. However, the strengthened beam could not exceed the capacity of an unstrengthened beam with the same geometry and reinforcement. The results obtained from the FEM simulation agree well with those monitored from the tests, meaning that the FEM can be used for design and analysis of the beams retrofitted with ferrocement.