For half a century now, a long-term experiment has been running in Empa’s largest testing laboratory at the Dübendorf site. This involves a reinforced concrete beam manufactured in 1970 which was strengthened with a steel plate bonded to its underside and has since been subjected to a permanent load of just over six tons. “After 50 years under 87 percent of the average breaking load, the epoxy resin bonding shows no weaknesses. Bonded steel plate reinforcements have thus passed the long-term test,” says engineer Christoph Czaderski, who has supervised the test in recent years.
Click here for original story, Long-term study of bonded steel reinforcements on a concrete beam enters 50th year
Source: Phys.org