Experimental Study on Flexurai Performance of RC Beams Strengthened with Prestressed Polyethylene FRP Sheets

Polyethylene fiber reinforced plastic(PEFRP)is a new composite material with good ductility. Based on an experimental study,the flexural performance of the beams strengthened with prestressed PEFRP sheets are compared with that of the beams strengthened with aramid FRP(AFRP)sheets and non-prestressed PEFRP sheets.Resultsshow that the ductile index of the beam strengthened with prestressed PEFRP sheets is respectively about 4% and 142% larger than that of the beam non-strengthened and the beam strengthened with prestressed AFRP sheets,which indicates that the RC beam strengthened with PEFRP sheets possesses good ductility.