Cementitious adhesives for NSM carbon laminate strengthening system with treated surfaces

Abstract

One of the main concerns of using structural composites as an effective technique for strengthening and rapid restoration of concrete structures is the behaviour of these systems in fire condition. Epoxy resins are currently used to bond structural composites to concrete substrate, but the vulnerability of their properties to high temperatures can compromise the strengthening effectiveness of these systems. Hence, finding an alternative adhesive is of a great importance. Recent studies presented promising results with the use of cement based materials as adhesives due to their good ability for transferring stresses and compatibility to the substrate. This study explores the adoption of a pre-treatment procedure for carbon fibre laminates for increasing the bond strength according to the near surface mounted (NSM) strengthening technique. Pull-out tests results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach for enhancing the bond strength