Experimental Studies on Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Ferrocement Wraps for Energy Efficiency

Construction industry is a major consumer of energy and resources, which has an impact on the environment. Ferrocement construction technology is becoming popular throughout the world. Ferrocement is a thin element used for building construction and also for retrofitting, because it can be applied quickly on the surface of the damaged structural element without the requirement of any special bonding material. It requires less skilled labour when compared to other retrofitting solutions existing at present. This paper deals with the study of performance of ferrocement wrapping in strengthening of RC beams. The ferrocement construction has an edge over the conventional reinforced concrete material because of its lighter weight, ease of construction, low self-weight, thinner section and high tensile strength which makes it a favorable material for prefabrication also. Experimental work is carried out for beam having dimensions 250mm x 125mm x 3000mm, to investigate the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with ferrocement to increase the strength of beams in both shear and flexure. Three reinforced concrete beams are casted in order to study different parameters such as strength, stiffness, stability and ductility. M25 grade concrete and Fe 415 steel is used. Beam is designed as per IS : 456-2000 code of practice. The mix design is done as per code IS : 10262-2000. The experimental result concludes that ferrocement technology is the best solution in strengthening of Reinforced Concrete beams to meet the demand in an efficient and economical way for sustainable development.