Titan Remedial Solutions

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Carbon Fibre Strengthening

Carbon fibre laminate and wrap strengthening of slabs, beams and columns — adding capacity with millimetres of material and no demolition — constructed to the consulting engineer's design and documented for certification.

The cost of ignoring it

Capacity deficiencies are rarely apparent from routine inspection. Deferred strengthening constrains how a building can be used — floor loads, fit-outs and change of use — and emergency propping carries a substantially higher cost than planned works.

Externally bonded FRP strengthening to a beam soffit Beam elevation and section showing bonded carbon fibre laminate to the soffit with U-wraps at the shear zones, and the anchorage length beyond the point at which the laminate is no longer required. Increased imposed load ANCHORAGE Section Bonded CFRP laminate to the tension face U-wrap at shear zones resists debonding at the laminate ends Strengthening is designed to the governing action, not applied as a product. Substrate condition and anchorage length are established first — corroding reinforcement is repaired before any laminate is bonded. ACI PRC-440.2-23, fib Bulletin 90. DET 05 / FRP STRENGTHENING
Externally bonded FRP strengthening to a beam soffit

When a structure needs strengthening

Buildings are frequently required to carry loads for which they were not designed — heavier floor loads, new plant, penetrations cut through slabs, walls removed in a refit, reinforcement lost to corrosion, or defects present from construction. Carbon fibre strengthening restores or adds capacity without demolition, and in most cases without the added weight, hot works or programme that bonded steel or section enlargement would involve.

Carbon fibre laminates, wraps and strips

The system is chosen by the action the member is deficient in:

  • Carbon fibre laminates are bonded to the tension face of beams and slabs to increase bending capacity. They are thin, rigid and factory-made, so their properties are consistent, and they are the most common strengthening for floors carrying new loads.
  • Carbon fibre fabric wraps are saturated with resin on site and wrapped around beams to increase shear capacity, or around columns to confine the concrete and increase axial capacity.
  • Near-surface mounted strips are set into slots cut into the concrete cover and bonded in with epoxy. They are used where a surface-bonded laminate would be exposed to damage, or over supports where the tension face is on top of the slab.

Laminates and wraps are designed with an anchorage length beyond the point at which they are no longer required, and often with U-wraps at the ends of a laminate to resist it peeling away from the concrete.

Diagnostic approach

Strengthening design depends on verified information about the existing structure:

  • As-built verification — cover meter and GPR scanning to locate reinforcement, measure cover and confirm member sizes
  • Material testing — concrete strength (cores, or rebound calibrated by cores) so that the design uses real properties
  • Condition assessment — corrosion, cracking and section loss quantified before capacity is calculated, and repaired before any laminate is bonded
  • Load-path review with the engineer — the visible defect is not always the member that requires strengthening

Methodology

The substrate is prepared by grinding to sound, laitance-free concrete; profile and moisture content are verified; adhesion is pull-off tested; laminates or fabrics are applied to the engineer’s layout, with the wet-out and lap requirements of the system manual; cure conditions are logged; and protective or fire-rated coatings are applied where specified.

For steel and section works, engineered temporary works are provided where required, connection details are executed as documented, and protective coating systems are selected for the design life.

Handover includes the full QA record set required for engineering certification.

Typical applications

Carbon fibre strengthening is applied to slabs supporting new plant or a change of use, to beams and columns after corrosion repair, to transfer structure upgrades, around new penetrations cut through slabs — including openings in post-tensioned slabs, see post-tensioning works — and to balcony and balustrade anchorage upgrades.

FAQ

Carbon fibre strengthening — common questions

01 What is a carbon fibre laminate?

A thin, rigid strip of carbon fibres set in resin, manufactured in a factory to a controlled fibre content, and bonded with epoxy to the face of a beam or slab. It acts as additional tensile reinforcement, so it is used where a member needs more bending capacity — for heavier floor loads, new plant, removed walls or reinforcement lost to corrosion. Carbon fibre fabric, applied as a wrap and saturated on site, is used where shear capacity or column confinement is needed.

02 Who designs the strengthening?

A consulting structural engineer, either the client's engineer or one engaged by us. We build to their design and documentation. We provide constructability input during design, certified installers for the specified carbon fibre system, and the QA records — substrate pull-off tests, application conditions and coverage mapping — that allow the engineer to certify the completed works.

03 What design standard governs carbon fibre strengthening in Australia?

There is no dedicated Australian Standard for carbon fibre (FRP) strengthening of buildings, which is relevant where a system is described as AS compliant. Design is carried out to international guidance, principally ACI PRC-440.2-23 and fib Bulletin 90, applied within the AS 3600 framework, with AS 5100.8 informing practice where bridge precedent is relevant. Every carbon fibre scheme on our projects is designed and certified by a chartered structural engineer.

04 Why carbon fibre rather than steel?

Carbon fibre adds capacity with millimetres of thickness and negligible added dead load, requires no hot works, and installs quickly in occupied buildings. Steel remains preferable where fire ratings, impact resistance or very high forces govern the design. The selection is an engineering decision; we install either system and can price both for comparison.

05 Does carbon fibre need fire protection?

Where the strengthening is relied on during a fire, generally yes. The epoxy that bonds the laminate loses strength at elevated temperatures, so the engineer determines whether the member must carry its load in a fire without the carbon fibre, or whether a fire protection system is applied over it. That decision is made in design, not on site.

06 How is quality verified on work that is subsequently concealed?

Each stage is recorded before it is covered — substrate preparation and pull-off adhesion results, batch numbers, ambient conditions during cure, and laminate positions mapped against the design drawings. The handover pack provides the evidence required for engineering certification and for insurance purposes.

Arrange a site assessment

A written condition report with an itemised scope, prepared to a standard your committee, consulting engineer or board can act on.

Book an assessment Call 0436 333 091