No abstract

This experimental study has been conducted on the efficiency of epoxy-bonded hemp fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. A total of five RC beams were cast and tested up to failure. The test parameters included fiber thickness and strengthening configuration. The experimental results show the capability of hemp FRP composites to increase the loading capacity in flexure of RC beams compared with the un-strengthened beam. The enhancement of ultimate load becomes more significant as the fiber thickness is increased. The effectiveness of strengthened beams in U-wrapped scheme is found greater than strengthened beams in bottom-only scheme. Based on results, it indicates that hemp FRP has a potential to considerably increase the strength and stiffness of the original RC beam.