REPAIR OF RC BEAMS WITH OPENINGS SUBJECTED TO TORSION USING STEEL PLATES

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the behavior of RC beams with openings repaired by steel plates and subjected to pure torsion. The experimental study includes testing of seven RC beams divided into three groups. The parameters considered in this study include the steel plates configuration, opening width and steel plate thickness. The experimental work consists of one solid specimen, four specimens with openings of 300 x 150 mm and two specimens with openings of 500 x 150 mm. The results of the tested beams include cracking and ultimate torques, angle of rotation, toughness, and mode of failure. A cost effectiveness study was performed to compare the different repair configurations used in this research. The experimental results showed that using full steel plates in repairing beams with opening significantly improved the ultimate torsional capacity of such beams.