Experimental and Numerical Analysis of CFRP-Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams at Various Temperatures

Year 2026, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 1 - 8, 15.01.2026

Gökçe Armağan , Meltem Korkmaz , Ali Gürbüz

https://doi.org/10.34248/bsengineering.1797720

https://izlik.org/JA22WN95WP

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of various temperatures on the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) using both experimental and numerical methods. A total of 24 beam specimens with dimensions of 10×15×60 cm were cast using C25/30 concrete. Half of the specimens were strengthened by CFRP wrapping, while the remaining half served as the control group. A total of 24 specimens were divided into three groups: 8 specimens were tested at 24 °C (room temperature), 8 specimens at 120 °C, and 8 specimens at 240 °C after being exposed to these temperatures for two hours. The experimental results showed that CFRP strengthening provided approximately 15% higher flexural strength at room temperature. In addition, while no significant strength loss was observed up to 120 °C, an approximate 8% reduction in strength occurred at 240 °C due to the adverse effect on the CFRP layer. The findings were further validated through finite element analyses conducted using Ansys Workbench. Numerical results were largely consistent with the experimental data, confirming that CFRP strengthening maintains its effectiveness up to elevated temperatures. At the same time, performance degradation becomes evident once the critical temperature threshold is exceeded. Overall, the results highlight that CFRP strengthening offers significant advantages in terms of post-fire performance, although its efficiency is clearly limited under high-temperature exposure.

Keywords

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer , Strengthening , High temperature , Flexural strength , Reinforced concrete beam

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was not required for this study because of there was no study on animals or humans.

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