Hope College Engineering Department
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Summer 2007
Project Summary

 

Project Title:

Fatigue Testing of Reinforced Concrete Beams
Student Name: Lisa Kallemeyn
Student's Home Institution: Hope College
Research Advisor: Dr. Jeff Brown
Source of Support: This material is based upon work supported by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium and by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Education Scholars Program.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites consist of glass or carbon fibers which are woven into a fabric and saturated with epoxy to create a strong, lightweight material. This material has many applications, including the strengthening of damaged reinforced concrete structures. This research investigated the durability of carbon FRP composites bonded to concrete. Preliminary testing involved small-scale concrete beams (4”x5”x15”) without internal reinforcing steel. These beams were not strong enough to withstand fatigue loading, so additional samples were constructed with steel reinforcement inside the concrete (6”x5”x60”). A custom fixture was developed to accommodate load testing of these larger beams in the Hope College mechanical testing lab. Future research plans include applying composite to the samples for tension reinforcement and subjecting the beams to fatigue loading. Infrared thermography will be used to detect defects in the composite and analyze the long-term durability of the composites over time.