Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting II Alexander et al (eds)

2009 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-415-46850-3

Feasibility study of a novel prestressing system for FRP-laminates

Wine Figeys, Luc Schueremans & Dionys Van Gemert
K.U.Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering,
Laboratorium Reyntjens, Heverlee, Belgium

Kris Brosens
Triconsult N.V., Lummen, Belgium

Ludo Van Schepdael

Solico N.V., Oosterhout, The Netherlands

Johan Dereymaeker
tDNE N.V., t. De Neef Engineering, Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium

ABSTRACT: Prestressing the external reinforcement has several advantages compared to the passive
system: the strength of CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforcement Polymer) is used more efficiently, the crack
size and crack distances are decreased and the element has a higher stiffness. However the application of laminate prestressing on the construction site is complex and time consuming. As a consequence, the technique is
rarely applied. A novel prestressing system is proposed. It aims to overcome the practical drawbacks of existing
systems: reduced distance between concrete and laminate, ease of anchorage, reduced number of operations and
a transferable force of 200 kN. An anchor block with curved slot in which the laminate is clamped with wedges
is proposed. Experiments demonstrate that the system is technically feasible.

INTRODUCTION

The load capacity of a structure can be enhanced using

the technique of externally bonded reinforcement.
Today, mostly steel plates, CFRP sheets and laminates
are applied. Steel plates are often used for deformation
problems because of the more significant cross section that is added and CFRP is advantageous e.g. for
strengthening of concrete plates, because then their
strength is better exploited. However, the high tensile
strength of CFRP is seldom fully exhausted. When operating in the high strength zone of the CFRP, the internal
steel reinforcement will undergo an unallowable yielding [Brosens, 2001, Nordin, 2004]. To avoid yielding,
the stress level in the carbon fibres has to be limited
when used as passive reinforcement. By prestressing
the high tensile capacity of the fibres is exploited more.
Other advantages of this technique are the decrease in
crack size and crack distances, and the higher stiffness
of the element [Triantafillou, 2006]. Prestressing of the
laminate introduces preceding stresses in the composite
section: the concrete in the tensile zone is compressed
and the internal tensile reinforcement is accordingly
released. Thus, the laminate is stretched.

The effect of prestressing on the structural behaviour

of the strengthened concrete member has been studied extensively [Casadei, 2006, Garden, 1998], and a
few prestressing systems for epoxy bonded external
reinforcement are available on the market [Andr,
1999, Sika, 2002, S&P, 2006]. However the application of laminate prestressing on the construction site
is complex and time consuming. As a consequence,
the technique is rarely applied, and further study and
development are needed. The novel system, presented
in this paper, aims to overcome the inconveniences of
existing prestressing systems: extensive preparation of
the laminates; laborious preparation of the concrete
element at the anchorages; long execution period, comprising consecutive steps with extended waiting times.

2
2.1

NOVEL SYSTEM
Requirements for a convenient prestressing
system

A prestressing system that would be appropriate for

application on the job site should fulfill the following

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minimum requirements, according to the experience

of the authors:
1. reduced distance between concrete and laminate:
to ensure a small thickness of the adhesive, it is
important to reduce the distance between the concrete and the laminate. Current systems make use
of chipping a cavity which is labour-intensive
and makes the external prestressed reinforcement
expensive with a high risk to damage the internal
reinforcement;
2. ease of anchorage: scientific research has shown
that additional anchorage is needed [El-Hacha,
1999]. If only adhesive is used, the connection
with the structure is insufficient. In one of the
available system, a steel plate is glued on the laminate to enlarge the gluing surface and to bold the
plate to the concrete. Other systems make use of a
mechanical anchorage to a steel frame.
3. reduced number of operations: any preparation of
the laminates in advance makes work more complex, which has to be avoided. It is preferable to
anchor immediately after prestressing so that the
expensive prestressing device can be re-used to
prestress other laminates. Therefore, a mechanical
anchorage is needed.

The system consists of an active anchor and a

passive anchor. The anchor blocks are fixed to the
concrete with glue and anchor bolts. The laminate is
inserted in the anchor block through a split. In the
anchor block, the laminate (dimensions: thickness up
to 4 mm; width up to 120 mm; length indefinite) is
bent away from the concrete. As a consequence, the
distance between the laminate and the concrete is kept
smaller than 3 to 5 mm. The laminates are blocked in
the slot of the anchor blocks. In the passive anchor
block, the laminate is fixed definitively in the clamping device with wedges. At the active side, it is only
temporarily fixed. A jack introduces the prestress
force and stretches the laminate. After reaching the
required force, the laminate is fixed with definitive
wedges. Now, the jack is removed and is available to
prestress the next laminate.
2.3

Advantages of the new system

The new system is designed and tested for a maximum transferable force of 200 kN. Calculations in
ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state of
real cases show that a prestressing force up to 100 kN
would satisfy for an economical application of the
prestressing technique [Brosens, 2005a]. The higher
prestressing force is needed because of possible creep
losses and slip, and for to ensure a sufficient safety
margin.

The system can be applied in a short time. The number

of actions is limited. Moreover, these actions are very
simple. In this way, the advantages of the classical
passive system of externally bonded reinforcement
are preserved. Through bending of the laminate away
from the concrete, the distance between the laminate
and the concrete remains small, without the necessity of chipping a cavity. The wedges provide a full
anchoring, so there is no need for additional anchorage by gluing the laminate. However, gluing the laminate to the concrete limits the crack formation and
distributes the cracks over the whole length of the
beam. Gluing offers an extra safety for possible slip
in the anchors and enhances the shear capacity of the
prestressed element.

2.2

Principle of the new system

In the novel system, the laminate is curved and blocked

with wedges, see Figure 1 [Figeys, 2008, Brosens
2005b].

3.1

Principle of the new prestressing system: active

Simplified system

A feasibility study has been carried out in the Reyntjens

Laboratoy of K.U. Leuven [Brosens, 2005a]. The
clamping capacity of the system is investigated, theoretically as well as experimentally. Also the anchorage to the concrete is investigated.
A simplified system is developed and tested,
Figure 2. The dimensions of the simplified clamping
system are: overall thickness of 40 mm of the anchor
block and a slit of 28 mm closing to 10 mm. The
clamped length of the laminate is 100 mm.
3.2

Figure 1.
anchor.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Preliminary FEM analysis of clamping system

A FEM analysis is performed to predict the stresses

in the laminate and in the anchor block. A laminate is
placed between the steel wedges in the anchor block.

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Figure 2.

levels, which are higher than the tensile strength of

the laminate. Local plastic deformation is expected.
The outer parts of the laminate are fixed with high
pressures. However the inner part of the laminate is
not blocked at all. High in-plane stresses are situated
in the transition zone which can cause tearing off in
the laminate. Also in the anchor block, high stresses
are locally present. The anchor block will irreversibly yield. The middle part of the anchor block opens
almost 2 mm. An anchor block with a larger thickness
will be needed to limit stresses and to avoid excessive deformation. To ensure a uniform pressure on the
laminate, also rounded wedges will be investigated.

Simplified system.

3.3

Figure 3. FEM-analysis: stresses in the laminate, Y-direction

[N/mm].

Figure 4.

Test setup for clamping system

The maximum transferable force of the clamping device is tested by means of tensile tests. In the
anchor block, a CFRP-laminate (100 1.4 mm,
E = 150 GPa, fu = 2000MPa) is blocked by means of
flat or rounded wedges. To reduce production costs
of the prototype anchors, the anchor block is divided
into two parts which are bolted together. Two kinds
of anchor blocks are used: one with a thickness of
40 mm (2 20 mm) and another with an increased
thickness of 50 mm (2 25 mm).
In the first six tests, Figure 5a, the two parts of the
anchor block are fixed to the upper head of the testing
device by means of 2 steel plates and 4 threaded bars.
In the mid part of the bar ( 20 mm, length 250 mm),
the two parts are bolted together with a prestressing
force of about 50 kN on each bolt. At both sides of the
clamping system, steel plates are used to transfer the
testing force to the anchor. Deformations are recorded
by means of LVDT (linear voltage differential transformer). In the anchor block, the laminate is blocked
by means of the wedges. The wedges are manually
pressed in the anchor block. The other head of the

FEM-analysis: von-Mises stresses [N/mm].

(a)
For the analysis, a laminate of 100 mm 1.4 mm is
assumed. The anchor block and the wedges are made
of steel. On the laminate, a tensile force is applied
through a uniform displacement at a distance of
100 mm from the clamping device. The laminate is
not treated and the wedges are flat. A prestressing
force of 150 kN is assumed. The results of an ideal
situation are presented in Figure 3.
In this ideal situation, it is assumed that no friction
is present between the wedge and the anchor block.
The friction coefficient between wedges and anchor
block equals zero. In case of pressure in the interface,
the laminate can not move. In case of tension, the
laminate is mobile.
The numerical results show that the laminate is not
uniformly blocked. Tensile stresses locally reach high

(b)

Figure 5. Test setup(a) Test 1 up to 6; (b) Test 7 up to 10.

1177

laminate is placed in the lower part of the testing

device. Aluminium plates are glued on this end of the
laminate to avoid premature failure by clamping of
the laminate.
In the second test setup, Figure 5b, applied in
test 7 up to 10, the two parts of the anchor block are
connected with bolts, each prestressed with 167 kN.
Afterwards, the anchor block is positioned on a steel
frame which transfers its forces to the testing device
by a cardan transmission. The laminate is positioned
in the same way as in test setup 1. The wedges are
pushed into the anchor block with a force of 200 kN,
the expected prestressing force. A higher transferable
force is expected because of the more uniform pressure of the wedges on the laminate.
During all tests, force and displacement are recorded.
The tensile test on the system runs deformation controlled. The displacement rate is set at 0.025 mm/s.
3.4

Experimental results and discussion

of the active anchor

The different test setups and the test results of the

tensile tests are presented in Table 1. A uniform pressure on the laminate is necessary to prevent premature failure due to shear failure in the laminate or due
to slipping of the laminate. Therefore, the test setups
make use of different thicknesses of the anchor block
(40 and 50 mm), different wedge shapes (flat and
rounded) and different kinds of load transfer layers
(steel plates, CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer) and AFRP (Aramid Fibre Reinforced Polymer)).
The experiments show that clamping of a prestressing
force of 200 kN is feasible, test 6 reached 208 kN.
Higher forces were expected in test series 2. Test 7
failed due to an asymmetric tensile force. Test 8, 9
Table 1. Test results.

and 10 was prematurely stopped because of yielding

of the cardan force transmission at high forces.
The effects of different interventions to increase
the transferable force are:
The most important intervention is the application
of a load transfer layer. Without this layer, the laminate slips through the wedges (test 1 and 2). In further tests, different kinds of layers have been tested.
No preferable load transfer layer could be indicated
based on the test results.
Pushing the laminates into the anchor block before
applying a prestressing force increases the transferable force substantially. Less displacement is observed
when the wedges are driven into the anchor block
manually. Even less displacement can be observed
in test series 2 where a hydraulic jack (200 kN) is
used, Table 1. The experiments were not able to
confirm the expectation of higher transferable force
because of the cardan transmission deficiency.
Two different thicknesses of anchor blocks have
been tested: 40 and 50 mm. The anchor block
deforms during the tensile tests. The tests clearly
indicate that the laminate fails by shear failure due
to non-uniform pressure in between the wedges.
Also a lot of bulging is observed (test 3 and 4).
Using a stiffer anchor block (50 mm) this failure
mode is prohibited.
A more uniform pressure on the laminate is
expected when using rounded wedges. The maximum force is measured in test 6 with flat wedges.
Test 5 with rounded wedges reaches a lower maximum force. Confirmation of this effect based on
ith test 8 and 10 was not possible as both tests were
stopped prematurely.
The general behaviour of the clamping system is
well predicted by the preliminary FEM analysis.
3.5

Test setup
Clamp Layer* Wedge** Fmax Opening Mode of failure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
*

40
40
40
40
50
50
50
50
50
50

A
S
S
C
C
C
C
A

f
r
r
r
r
f
f+p
r+p
f+p
f+p

10
78
110
143
166
208
138
198
175
178

0.86
0.77
2.60
1.28
2.82
0.05
0.08
0.01
0.05

slipping of
laminate
shear failure in
laminate
clamping
assymetric
cardan

A= AFRP(90), S = Steel (2 mm), A = Al (2 mm), C= CFRP

(+/45).
**
f/r + p: f: flat, r: rounded, p: prestressed clamping force (kN).

Test setup for testing anchorage

to the concrete

The test setup is presented in Figure 6. Two slots

(10 mm 12 mm 150 mm) are cut in a reinforced
concrete block (150 mm 150 mm 600 mm).
A tab (10 mm 10 mm 90 mm) is welded on the
steel plate. The width of the steel plate is 100 mm,
corresponding to half of the width of the anchor plate.
Two of these steel plates are positioned at opposite
sides on the concrete block such that the tabs fit in
the slots in the concrete. A maximum transferable
force of 200 kN is aimed. The steel plates are fixed
with an epoxy adhesive, are bolted, or both, depending on the test configuration, summarized in Table 2.
The bolts (M20, quality 8.8) are chemically anchored
in the concrete block, with an anchorage depth of
7 cm. The mean tensile strength of the concrete is
5.0 N/mm. Two other wide steel plates are glued

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The calculated force is 102 kN. This force increases

to a mean value of 112kN for the first test configuration, using a tab. Applying a tab increases the
transferable force only with 10 kN. This contribution is limited compared to the required labor for
preparation (sawing a slot...) to be taken on site.
Therefore, the tab is omitted;
bolt(s) and glue versus only bolt(s) or only glue.
A glued connection transfers 112 kN. A maximum force of 136 kN (one bolt) and 132 kN (two
bolts) is reached in case the connection is realized with only bolts. Failures take place by pulling out of the bolts. Applying bolts and adhesive
can increase the transferable force significantly.
The maximum force mounts up to 191 kN (two
bolts) with failure of the concrete.
In test 2 and 3, where only bolts are used, a
large displacement of 3 to 4 mm is measured.
Applying glue reduces this displacement to only
0.4 mm. The smaller displacement is necessary
to limit prestressing losses.
Figure 6. Anchorage test setup.
1. steel plate (100 mm 380 mm 12 mm),
2. reinforced concrete, 3. adhesive,
4. bolt M20,
5. steel plates
Table 2. Anchorage test results.
Nr

Bolt

Glue

Fmax

Failure mode

No tab or
bolts

Glue

102

Glue

1
2
1
2

Glue
Glue

109
114
136
132
117*
191

Numerical anchorage
capacity
In concrete

1a
1b
2
3
4
5

In concrete
Bolts pulled out
Bolt prematurely pulled out
In concrete

premature failure due to bolt pull out.

CONCLUSIONS

Tensile tests on the system show that the objective

of a clamping capacity of 200 kN is obtained if:

and bolted to the concrete to introduce the force from

the cardan transmission coupling device. The test is
performed displacement controlled with a constant
speed of 0.008 mm/s. During testing, the slip of the
steel plates is measured with two LVDTs.
3.6

The maximum transferable (191 kN, test setup

with adhesive and two bolts) force is close to the
preset goal 200 kN. Additional tests are necessary to
verify if 200 kN can always be reached. However, the
real prototype will have a larger glued contact surface
with the concrete. Also, the length of the chemical anchors is usually 10 to 12 cm, compared to the
7 cm used in the experiments. An increase of pull out
strength is expected. A glued connection is necessary
to avoid large displacement of the anchor block during the application of the prestressing force. Two or
three bolts in combination with the glue will comply
with the requirement.

Test results and discussion

The test results are presented in Table 2. Test specimen 4 failed premature due to insufficient adhesion
of the chemical anchor and is therefore excluded.
Two trends can be observed:
tab and glue versus only glue.
The maximum transferable force can be calculated [Brosens, 2001] if no tab or bolts are used.

a load transfer layer is applied;

the laminate is clamped in a stiff anchor block;
the wedges are pushed into the anchor block, preferably with high force comparable with the maximum prestress force (200 kN).
Rounded wedges could increase the transferable
force as they spread out the clamping force more uniformly. However, this was not verifiable from the
obtained test results.
Tests show that the anchorage to the concrete is
possible. A sufficient anchorage capacity is clearly
within reach when gluing and bolting the anchor
block. A tab only results in a limited increase of the
anchorage capacity which is incompatible with the
labor intensity required.

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Further research is needed to optimize the design

for on site applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors express their thanks to the Flemish Institute for Promotion of Scientific and Technological
Research in the Industry (IWTVlaams Instituut voor
de Bevordering van Wetenschappelijk-Technologisch
Onderzoek in de Industrie) for the financial support
to this research, as well as for the doctoral grant,
attributed to the first author.
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