Repair of cracks in simply supported beams using epoxy injection technique

Abstract

The research reported in this paper is a contribution in understanding the epoxy injection retrofitting technique to strengthen the existing RC cracked members. This technique consists of injecting epoxy resin adhesive in a cracked beam to increase the stiffness and the strength. A total of six full scale RC beams were constructed with the same material using the same mix and water-cement ratio. The beams were tested until the width of cracks reached a limiting value of 1 mm. The beams were then repaired with the epoxy injection technique. After 3 days of water curing, the beams were tested again and loaded till the failure occurred. A considerable enhancement in the load carrying capacity was observed in the beams after the retrofitting. A reduction in deflection was also observed due to the injection of epoxy. These results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique in repairing the RC members for strengthening the existing structures.