Sometimes, concrete structures develop large cracks from years of wear and tear. If these cracks become too large, most injection methods simply will not work to repair the crack. This is why Strengthening Technologies recommend shoring the crack with carbon fiber rather than excavating, tearing out, and replacing the concrete.

Shoring the crack with carbon fiber can prevent the crack from growing and getting worse. 

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is quickly becoming a commonly used material in structural engineering applications. Carbon fiber is very lightweight and has high tensile strength - giving your structure significant strength without adding weight that would increase the load on a foundation. Carbon fiber can be bonded to the exterior of a concrete column, beam, or slab.

Carbon fiber can also be used in retrofitting structures and for increasing the load capacity of existing structures, such as parking garages, that were designed to tolerate smaller loads. Retrofitting with CFRP is a cost effective method of structural concrete strengthening.

With corrosion and concrete deterioration, many structures may lose reinforcing steel mass. Carbon fiber can very useful in strengthening these structures as well. 

Lightweight Reinforcing Material

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) has many advantages over steel as a reinforcing material. CFRP is low profile, therefore less likely to interfere with outer finishes or building components. It is also lightweight.

This is an extremely important trait in Carbon Fiber Strengthening Systems because increasing the dead load of a structure when it's already in need of strengthening is never a good idea.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is also extremely flexible, meaning it has no problem conforming to existing surfaces without having to make changes to the structure itself. Cost effectiveness is another quality of CFRP. When you use CFRP - this eliminates the need for tearing down and rebuilding structures.