EAS 662/4 : STRUCTURAL RETROFITTING TECHNOLOGY

Steel Plate bonding

methods strengthening
RC structure
Strengthening of reinforced
concrete
Structure
Purpose:
 to maintain efficient serviceability
 environmentally and economically preferable to repair or
strengthen the structures rather than replacement, particularly if
rapid, effective and simple strengthening methods are available

Materials and Methods are available:

 Sprayed concrete,
 Ferrocement,
 Concrete Jacketing
 Steel plate and
 Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP)
plating method of strengthening
using steel plate

 most common materials use for strengthening of RC

structure
 very effective for increasing the flexural and shear
capacity of RC structure
 One of the popular method due to its availability,
cheapness, uniform materials properties (isotropic),
easy to work, high ductility and high fatigue strength
Steel Plate Bonding
 This technique involves enhancing strength (shear, flexure, compression) or
improving stiffness of deficient reinforced concrete members by bonding steel
plates of calculated thickness with adhesives and anchors to the existing
sections.
 Acts as externally bonded reinforcement to the concrete section
 Improves the moment of inertia (stiffness) of the composite (concrete-steel)
section.
 Steel Plate Bonding
 This technique is useful for the flexural and shear strengthening of bending
elements such as beams and slabs and for compression capacity enhancement
of columns.
 Steel plate bonding is a cumbersome process requiring extensive hacking &
drilling in the existing section.
 Steel plates are hard to lift and need to be tailor made to suit to the as-built
dimensions of the members.
 Resulting surface finish is unsightly and steel plate retrofit is prone to
corrosion over time.
form of plating

 The most common form of plating is to glue steel plates

to the tension faces of RC structure
 the composite action between the plate, glue, and
concrete will be maintained until failure
 the effectiveness of this method is depended on the
surface preparation and bonding methods between
existing RC structure and steel plates
bonding faces of the steel
plates
 Adhikary et al. (2000) has described the roughening
process of the RC beam surface before placing the
plates
 The roughening process is carried out using a
mechanical grinding until the laitance was removed and
the surfaces were then brushed and cleaned thoroughly
with acetone
 The bonding faces of the steel plates can also be san-
blasted and then cleaned with acetone.
 After surface preparation, epoxy adhesive is placed on
the roughened surface and then steel plate is positioned
on top
 The bonding of the steel plates or steel flat bars to the concrete members is
ensured by the use of epoxy adhesives and in some cases, additional fastening
is provided by means of dowels or bolts glued to the holes drilled in the
concrete member. Oehlers D.J. and Seracino R. (2004)
 In the case of RC slabs strengthening this methods is used to augment the
member’s bending resistance.
 Therefore, the steel plates or steel flat bars can be applied to the bottom or
upper faces of the reinforced concrete slab to ensure the bending resistance
(positive or negative bending moments zones).
 Design procedure is based on general principle concerning the concrete design
of glued joints or glue-bolt and glue-dowel joints.
Methods of plate bonding
methods
shows steel plate bonding technique for a circular column.
Steel plates bonded to the soffit of decks
and girders in a concrete bridge
Structural Strengthening with Fixed and Bonded Steel Plates
Methods of plate bonding
methods
From Swamy et al, (1987) The main parameter considering
in bonding plate:
 Plate thickness
 Glue thickness
 Layered plates
 Lapped plates
 Variation in glue thickness
 Presence of stress concentration in the adhesive layers.
Column Strengthening using Steel Plate Bonding
Research on the methods of
plate bonding methods
From Swamy et al.(1987)
-Reported that the addition of glued steel plates of RC
beams can substantially increase their flexural stiffness,
reduce cracking and structural deformations at all load
levels and had contributed to a modest increase in their
ultimate flexural capacity.
Other Techniques on methods
of bonding plate
 Tapered plate
 Multi-plates with curtailment
 Anchor Bolts
Anchoring and bolted Bonded Steel Plates
Guideline Specification for
External Bonding of Steel Plates
to Concrete 1. Preparation of materials and equipment
2. Preparation of work space
3. Surface Preparation, Placement of
Injection Ports
4. Both concrete and steel surfaces applicable
to epoxy plate bonding shall be cleaned of
dirt, dust, oil, efflorescence, paint or other
foreign material which may be detrimental
to establishing a bond of the sealing
material prior to epoxy injection. Steel
should be cleaned to SSPC-SP-5 and
concrete should be cleaned by abrasion
methods or other surface preparation to
developed bonding n key of bonding
development is roughened the concrete
surface.
Guideline Specification for
External Bonding of Steel Plates
to Concrete
5. Injection of the epoxy adhesive shall begin at the lowest
entry port and continue until there the adhesive emerges
from the next adjacent (higher) port. For a horizontal
beam or flange, the lowest point is generally the center of
the beam and injection proceeds from the center outward
in both directions.
6. Injection of the epoxy adhesive shall begin at the lowest
entry port and continue until there the adhesive emerges
from the next adjacent (higher) port. For a horizontal
beam or flange, the lowest point is generally the center of
the beam and injection proceeds from the center outward
in both directions.
7. All surface seal material and injection adhesive runs or spills
shall be carefully removed from the surface.
Problems Associated with
plate bonding method
 Premature debonding extremely complicated problem in
adhesively bonded plate.
Oehlers D.J (2001) in his studies mentioned that:
There are three mechanisms of debonding referred as:
-Flexural peeling
-Shear peeling
-Axial peeling
Premature debonding of a tension face plate.
Shear peeling mechanism.
Shear peeling of tension face plated beam.
Flexural peeling mechanism.
Axial peeling mechanism.
Preventing debonding

From Jones et al. (1998) stated that applying anchor plates

to the plated RC beams could provide at least the following
three function:
- to resist the peeling effect
- to prevent debonding and longitudinal plate movement
- to act as a transition between the plated and unplated
sections.
While debonding due to shear flow can be prevented by
using shear connector or epoxy resin adhesive.
DisAdvantages of the plate
bonding technique
Although the technique has been shown to be successful in
practice, it also has disadvantages. There are:
i. Possibility of corrosion exist
ii. Difficult to shape in order to fit complex profiles
(welding cannot be used in these cases since this
would destroy the adhesive bond).
iii. Requirement of studs to assist in supporting the steel
plates during installation.
iv. If the plates are loaded in compression, buckling may
occur, causing the plates to become detached.
v. Relatively time consuming and labour intensive.
 Comparison advantages and disadvantages
between steel plate bonding, concrete
jacketing and frp in strengthening rc
stucture
Steel Plates Concrete FRP
Jacketing
High Corrosion Medium Corrosion Corrosion
Resistance
Low Cost High Cost High Cost

High Installation High Installation Ease of Installation

Cost Cost
More maintenance More maintenance Less Maintenance

Heavy Weight Heavy Weight Light Weight

 END

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