CFRP Strengthening for Punching Shear of Interior Slab–Column Connections

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation studying the effect of retrofitting interior slab–column connections against punching shear failure with externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. Six full-scale, 2000 mm-square×150-mm-thick slab specimens were constructed. The effect of varying the CFRP strengthening amount and configuration on the load-carrying capacity of the slab specimens was investigated. Specimens were supported along their edges and tested to failure. Strengthened slabs showed an increase in stiffness between 29 and 60% and in punching capacity between 6 and 16% with respect to the control unstrengthened slab. An analytical model was refined to predict the punching shear capacity of the specimens strengthened with CFRP strips. The model takes into account both the configuration and amount of CFRP strips. The proposed model shows good agreement with the experimental results.