The use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) in strengthening of steel structural elements
is growing every year. CFRP laminates offer an economic strengthening alternative for steel I-beams. The
common method of using CFRP laminates in strengthening steel beams is by bonding the laminates (usually
high modules type) to the lower flange of the beam to increase its flexural strength. However, for thin walled
“slender” I-section steel beams, the risk of local buckling failure is also a major concern. Recently, it was found
that bonding CFRP laminates to steel slender I-section web can enhance the local buckling of the steel section.
Here, a numerical investigation is performed to investigate the effect of bonding CFRP laminates to the webs of
I-section steel beams on the beam’s flexural strength. The main advantage of this technique is delaying the onset
of local buck-ling of the beam’s web thus allowing the slender I-section to reach its yield flexural capacity. The
study reveals that bonding the CFRP laminates to the web of I-sections significantly increases the critical load
and may allow the beam to reach its yield capacity.