Issue 78

D. D. Joshi et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 78 (2026) 315-345; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78-19

strengthened beams exhibited improved initial stiffness and energy absorption capacity. Tavio et al. [57] examined flexural behaviour of RC beams strengthened using stainless steel mesh (SSM) sheets. Experiments were conducted on five RC beams under symmetrical four-point loading. Four beams were strengthened using low-density (SLD) and high-density (HSM) SSM sheets applied at the beam bottom. Results indicated that, SLD strengthening effectively improved overall flexural performance with enhanced load-carrying capacity, stiffness, energy absorption and ductility as compared to other specimens. The authors also suggested that SSM is a cost-effective material for strengthening structural elements such as RC beams and circular columns. Askander et al. [58] studied the flexural performance of RC beams strengthened using externally bonded stainless-steel wire mesh. Experimental studies were conducted in six RC beams. Results of experimental studies were validated through finite element analysis. Study results indicated that, SSWM strengthening enhances the ultimate load capacity of RC beams in a range of 99% to 149%, while reducing the mid-span deflections around 53%. Based on the study, authors have suggested SSWM as a promising and sustainable strengthening solution, offering both economic and environmental benefits. Patel and Raiyani [66] investigated the efficacy of SSWM for enhancing the shear capacity of shear-deficient RC beams through an experimental study conducted on nine specimens. One-layer and two-layer SSWM strengthening schemes were applied on the side faces of the beams. Two configurations were examined, namely, full-depth wrapping over the entire 200 mm beam depth and partial wrapping up to 150 mm from the bottom face, leaving the top 50 mm portion of the beam unwrapped. The results indicated that the load-carrying capacity increased by 48.33% and 77.34%, respectively, for beams strengthened with one and two layers of SSWM, respectively. It was further observed that full depth wrapping beyond the tension zone did not result in significant additional strength enhancement, as both configurations exhibited comparable load resistance. Liu et al. [67] investigated the shear behaviour of RC beams strengthened using stainless-steel wire mesh in combination with polymer mortar. A total of nine rectangular RC beams were experimentally tested. The steel wire mesh was applied near the beam ends in different configurations, including U-shaped reinforcement and wraparound schemes, with varying numbers of bolts and bolt spacings. The experimental results demonstrated that SSWM strengthening significantly enhanced the shear load-carrying capacity by 21.2% to 63.5%, stiffness and ductility of the beams, along with delayed initiation and propagation of shear cracks. It was also observed that number of bolts used to fix steel wire mesh had significant influence on the shear capacity of RC beam. SSWM was explored for torsional strengthening of RC beams by Patel et al. [68]. Experimental studies were conducted on RC beams of 1300 mm in length with a cross-section of 150 mm × 150 mm, subjected to pure torsion. Six different configurations of SSWM strengthening were examined, including full wrapping, strip wrapping of 150 mm and 100 mm widths at various locations combined with corner wrapping and diagonal strip wrapping in combination with corner confinement. The performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of ultimate torque, angle of twist at failure, torque twist response, cracking torque and failure patterns. The results demonstrated that SSWM strengthening significantly enhanced the torsional performance of RC beams by increasing ultimate torque by 21.91% to 257.77% and twist capacity by 72.40% to 407.60%. Among the configurations considered, the combination of corner and diagonal strip wrapping exhibited the best performance. A finite element model was also developed and the numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental findings. Patel et al. [69] further explored the feasibility of SSWM strengthening for precast beam column junctions subjected to monotonic loading. Experimental studies were conducted on twelve reduced one-third (1/3) scale specimens representing exterior beam column joints. Two different SSWM strengthening configurations were adopted around the beam column junction, namely, continuous box-type wrapping and diagonal strip wrapping. A monotonic vertical load was applied at the free end of the beam in a displacement-controlled manner. For precast specimens, four different types of wet connection detailing were considered. The results indicated that SSWM strengthening enhanced the load-carrying capacity of the specimens in the range of 8-43%. Strengthened specimens also exhibited notable improvements in ductility, energy absorption and stiffness. Effective bonding between the SSWM and the concrete surface was also observed, without any significant debonding. Tearing of the stainless-steel wires of mesh during failure, indicated full utilization of the tensile capacity of SSWM. Overall, the study recommended the application of SSWM as a viable technique for structural strengthening of precast beam column joints. The performance of a damaged RC beam-column junction strengthened using SSWM under displacement-controlled quasi static cyclic loading was evaluated by Makawana et al. [70]. The experimental investigation was conducted on a reduced one third (1/3) scale specimen representing an exterior beam-column junction of a six-storey prototype frame. Cracks in the damaged specimen were initially repaired using grout, after which SSWM 40 × 32 variant was applied as strengthening material around the joint region using epoxy adhesive. The strengthened specimen was subsequently tested again under cyclic loading in accordance with standard testing protocol. The structural response of the specimen before strengthening and after strengthening damaged specimen were evaluated in terms of hysteretic behavior, backbone curve, ductility,

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