Carbon Fiber Fabric For Structural Strengthening

Carbon fiber fabric can strengthen concrete, steel, masonry, and timber structures. Applications include buildings, bridges, industrial facilities, and historical structures. The fabric is suitable for flexural, shear, seismic, and confinement strengthening.

Depending on the application and number of layers, load capacity increases of 20% to 100% are achievable. Flexural strengthening typically increases capacity by 30%–60%, while shear strengthening can increase capacity by 40%–80%. Engineering analysis is required to determine the exact increase.

Concrete surfaces must be sandblasted or ground to remove surface laitance and achieve a minimum tensile bond strength of 1.5 MPa. Steel surfaces require abrasive blasting to a near-white finish (SSPC-SP10). Masonry and timber surfaces require cleaning and levelling with appropriate fillers.

Most strengthening applications require 1 to 4 layers of fabric. Additional layers provide increased capacity but may reduce bond efficiency due to strain lag. Engineering design should specify the optimal number of layers based on the required capacity increase and substrate strength.

Key guidelines include ACI 440.2R (USA), FIB Bulletin 14 (Europe), IBC (International Building Code), and national standards such as JSCE (Japan) and GB (China). The fabric is designed to meet the material requirements of these standards.