Flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete beams with bolted heavy-duty metal straps

This study examines using heavy-duty metal straps bolted onto the face of concrete beams as an approach of reusing discarded heavy-duty metals to strengthen concrete beams. The method is quick, cost-effective and time-saving, and provides a practical solution for strengthening beams regardless of their casting methods or locations within a building. A set of 12 reinforced concrete beams was constructed to fail under bending forces. The beams were designed with a width of 160 mm, height of 240 mm and a total length of 2100 mm. To attach the metal straps, 14 mm holes were drilled at different locations of the concrete beams and M12 thru bolts were used to secure the metal straps. The testing parameters were the number of the straps and their positions on the face of the beam. It is found that bolting metal straps on the beams enhances the load-carrying capacity of the beams by up to 70%. To achieve the optimal strength, it is essential to ensure that the holes are precisely at the centre of the strap and the straps are aligned with the provided steel reinforcement of the beam. Finally, the behaviour of the beams is validated by VecTor2 software.