Concrete beams strengthened with glass reinforced polymer coated wi̇th aluminum honeycomb composites

Many different methods have been used for reinforcing beams that serve as horizontal conveyors in concrete structures. Thanks to the important developments in material science, materials with high strength / weight ratio, low specific weight and high rigidity have been produced. As technology develops, the improvements have paved the way for the composite equipments to be used as the fortification equipment these days. Recent developments in materials science include honeycomb composites. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of honeycomb composites on strengthening studies. In line with this aim, composite panels coated with glass reinforced polymer (CTP) with aluminum honeycomb core were used. For the experimental study, three pieces of reference beams and nine pieces reinforced beams were prepared. Totally twelve beams were prepared and tested in a four-point loading test. As a test variable, honeycomb with three different honeycomb core heights was used and the effect of the increase in the thickness of the material depending on the height of the core was investigated. As a result of experimental study, it was seen that honeycomb composites were suitable for reinforcement studies. Depending on the test variable, it was seen that the maximum amount of load that the beams could carry between 14% and 25% increased as the core thickness increased. KEYWORDS: honeycomb structures, sandwich composite panels, glass reinforced polymer, CTP, LVDT, reinforcement in reinforced concrete structures, bending test