Work

Experimental Study on Shear Strengthening of Damaged RC Beams Using Wire Mesh-Reinforced Polyurethane Cement Composite

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Polyurethane cement (PUC) is a high-performance composite that combines the high toughness of polymers with the durability of cementitious materials, showing potential in the field of structural strengthening. However, when used alone, its crack confinement capability is limited. To investigate the strengthening effect of wire mesh–polyurethane cement (WM-PUC) composite on the shear performance of damaged reinforced concrete (RC) beams, static loading tests were conducted on four RC beams. All strengthened beams were preloaded to induce initial damage and subsequently retrofitted on the sides using the two composite materials. Their shear performance was evaluated through single-point monotonic loading. The failure modes, load–displacement curves, shear capacity, and crack development patterns of the strengthened beams were analyzed in detail. The experimental results indicated that after strengthening with PUC and WM-PUC, the shear capacity of the damaged beams was effectively enhanced. The ultimate loads of the damaged beams strengthened with PUC and WM-PUC were 360 kN and 390 kN, respectively, representing increases of 12.5% and 21.88% compared to the unstrengthened beam. Compared to the PUC-strengthened beam, the ultimate load of the WM-PUC-strengthened beam increased by 8.3%, indicating that the incorporation of wire mesh further enhanced the strengthening effectiveness of the polyurethane cement composite. In terms of crack control, WM-PUC strengthening was more effective than PUC strengthening in restraining the initiation and propagation of diagonal cracks. The findings demonstrate that WM-PUC composite exhibits favorable applicability for the shear strengthening of damaged RC beams, with overall performance superior to that of PUC-only strengthening, thereby providing a technical reference for high-performance shear strengthening of existing concrete structures.

Source: Buildings

DOI: 10.3390/buildings16091792

Authors: Lihui Yin, Yanmin Jia, Zhu Yuan

Institutions: Northeast Forestry University, Heilongjiang University

Language: English

Topic: Structural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137