COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON METHODS OF STRENGTHENING OF REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE STRUCTURES

Lot of researches have been done on concrete framed structures to retrofit/ strengthen with different kinds of materials with different techniques. The outcome of the research studies were the incremental strength obtained with particular materials with particular technique which were chosen by the researchers arbitrarily. When the functional use of the existing structures are proposed to be changed, the retrofitting of structural members become inevitable and in the process of retrofitting the strengthening of primary flexural members in the positive moments are carried out in the conventional retrofitting methods like replacement of members, increasing cross sections including overlay & jacketing, addition of members like columns & beams, external plates, fibre-reinforced polymer materials, addition of supports, and introduction of pre-stressing. But, the techniques to strengthen the negative moment region are very little especially for an external column-beam junction in any mid floor of a multi storey structures. So this review is intended to study the principles & practices and researches available to strengthen the negative moment region of the structural elements in a reinforced cement concrete framed structure. This paper provides a comprehensive review of methods of strengthening and outlines some suggestions in this area.