Parking Garage Repair & Strengthening with FRP
Corrosion-resistant FRP solutions for strengthening deteriorated parking decks, double tees, beams, columns, and corbels.
Parking garages are exposed to some of the harshest conditions encountered by reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Water, chlorides, deicing salts, vehicle traffic, temperature cycles, and decades of exposure can lead to corrosion of reinforcing steel and prestressing strands, cracking, spalling, and loss of structural capacity.
QuakeWrap® provides engineered fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) systems for the repair and strengthening of parking garage slabs, beams, double tees, columns, and corbels.
Our lightweight carbon and glass FRP materials can restore or increase structural capacity without the weight, corrosion problems, and construction disruption associated with many conventional repair methods.
Repair. Strengthen. Protect. Extend Service Life.
Why Parking Garages Deteriorate
Parking structures face a combination of environmental and operational conditions that can accelerate deterioration.
Coastal Environments
Parking garages near oceans and coastal areas are continuously exposed to chloride-laden air and moisture. Over time, chlorides can penetrate concrete and reach reinforcing steel or prestressing strands.
Once corrosion begins, the expanding corrosion products can cause:
- Concrete cracking
- Delamination
- Spalling
- Loss of reinforcing steel
- Loss of prestressing strand area
- Reduced structural capacity
Because many parking structures are relatively open to the environment, salt spray and humid marine air can reach structural members throughout the garage.
Snow, Ice and Road Salt: A Hidden Source of Corrosion
In colder regions such as the Midwest and New England, one of the most damaging sources of chlorides may actually arrive inside the vehicles entering the garage.
During winter, snow, ice, and road salt accumulate around vehicle wheel wells, tires, bumpers, and undercarriages.
When the vehicle enters a warmer parking garage, this frozen material begins to melt.
Salt-laden water then drips onto the parking deck.
Day after day throughout the winter, thousands of vehicles can introduce significant quantities of chloride-contaminated water into the structure.
The water can penetrate cracks, joints, and porous concrete and eventually reach the reinforcing steel or prestressing strands.
Over many winters, this repeated exposure can result in serious corrosion and deterioration of the parking structure.
The corrosion source is often brought into the garage one car at a time.
Structural Problems We Can Address
QuakeWrap® FRP systems can be engineered for a wide range of parking-garage repair and strengthening applications.
Parking Decks and Slabs
Concrete slabs may require strengthening because of:
- Reinforcing steel corrosion
- Increased vehicle loading
- Deteriorated concrete
- New openings or penetrations
- Changes in use
- Design or construction deficiencies
Carbon FRP can be bonded to the surface of the slab to provide additional flexural reinforcement while adding very little thickness or weight.
Beams and Double-Tee Members
Many parking garages are constructed using precast or prestressed concrete double tees and supporting beams.
These members may suffer from:
- Corrosion of reinforcement
- Prestressing strand deterioration
- Cracking
- Impact damage
- Insufficient flexural strength
- Insufficient shear capacity
Externally bonded carbon FRP can provide additional flexural and shear reinforcement without requiring heavy structural steel plates.
Because FRP laminates and fabrics are thin and lightweight, repairs can often be installed while maintaining valuable vehicle clearance.
Column Repair and Strengthening
Parking garage columns may deteriorate because of chloride exposure, vehicle impact, corrosion, or increased structural demands.
FRP wrapping can provide:
- Confinement of concrete
- Increased axial capacity
- Improved ductility
- Protection of repaired concrete
- Additional resistance to deterioration
Carbon or glass FRP systems can be installed around rectangular or circular columns with minimal increase in member dimensions.
This is particularly valuable in parking garages where maintaining vehicle clearance and parking-space dimensions is important.
Corbel Repair and Strengthening
Concrete corbels are critical components in many precast parking structures because they transfer large concentrated loads from beams or double tees into the supporting columns.
Deterioration of corbels can be especially concerning because these relatively small structural elements carry very high forces.
Problems may include:
- Cracking
- Reinforcing steel corrosion
- Concrete spalling
- Inadequate shear capacity
- Bearing-zone deterioration
- Increased loads
QuakeWrap® has used externally bonded FRP systems to strengthen concrete corbels in parking structures.
Carbon FRP reinforcement can be configured to increase shear resistance and help transfer forces safely through the repaired region.
Why FRP Is Well Suited for Parking Garage Repair
Traditional repairs frequently rely on steel plates, supplemental steel framing, or extensive demolition and reconstruction.
FRP provides several important advantages.
Lightweight
Carbon FRP reinforcement weighs only a fraction of structural steel, allowing materials to be carried and installed without heavy lifting equipment.
Corrosion Resistant
FRP does not rust, making it particularly attractive for chloride-rich parking-garage environments.
Thin Profile
Most FRP strengthening systems add only a small thickness to the structural member.
This helps preserve:
- Vehicle clearance
- Parking-space dimensions
- Ramp clearance
- Architectural appearance
High Strength
Carbon FRP has extremely high tensile strength and can provide significant additional structural capacity with relatively little material.
Rapid Installation
FRP strengthening can often be completed faster than conventional steel strengthening.
Minimal Disruption
Many projects can be performed in localized areas of an operating parking structure, reducing the number of parking spaces that must be taken out of service.
How the Repair Works
Every parking garage repair is different, but a typical QuakeWrap® FRP strengthening project may include the following steps.
1. Structural Evaluation
The damaged member and existing reinforcement are evaluated to determine the required strengthening.
2. Concrete Repair
Loose or deteriorated concrete is removed and damaged areas are repaired.
Corroded reinforcing steel may be cleaned or supplemented where required.
3. Surface Preparation
Concrete surfaces are prepared to provide proper bonding between the existing structure and the FRP system.
4. FRP Installation
Carbon or glass FRP fabrics or laminates are installed in engineered orientations to provide the required flexural, shear, confinement, or axial reinforcement.
5. Protective Finish
Where required, the FRP system can receive protective coatings for UV resistance, fire protection, aesthetics, or environmental exposure.
Repair Instead of Replacement
Severe deterioration does not necessarily mean that a parking structure—or even a badly damaged structural member—must be replaced.
In many cases, the existing concrete can remain in service while deteriorated portions are repaired and additional structural capacity is provided with externally bonded FRP.
This approach can significantly reduce:
- Demolition
- Construction time
- Structural weight
- Heavy equipment requirements
- Facility disruption
- Loss of parking revenue
For occupied parking garages, these advantages can be particularly important.
QuakeWrap® Parking Structure Experience
QuakeWrap® has completed numerous FRP strengthening projects involving parking structures and similar reinforced and prestressed concrete systems.
Examples include:
Prestressed Double-Tee Parking Garage — Phoenix, Arizona
Prestressed concrete double-tee members were strengthened using externally bonded FRP reinforcement to increase structural capacity while maintaining the limited clearance available within the garage.
Martini Park Parking Garage — Scottsdale, Arizona
Carbon FRP was used to repair and strengthen deteriorated double-tee beams in an existing parking structure.
Parking Structure Corbels — Mesa, Arizona
Concrete corbels supporting precast structural members were strengthened using externally bonded FRP reinforcement.
These projects demonstrate the versatility of FRP for addressing several of the most important structural components found in parking garages.
Where FRP Can Be Used in a Parking Garage
QuakeWrap® systems can be engineered for:
- Parking deck strengthening
- Concrete slab repair
- Double-tee strengthening
- Prestressed concrete repair
- Beam flexural strengthening
- Beam shear strengthening
- Column confinement
- Column strengthening
- Corbel strengthening
- Crack-related structural repairs
- Vehicle-impact repairs
- Reinforcement corrosion damage
- Structural upgrades for increased loads
- Localized repairs around openings and penetrations
Engineering Support from QuakeWrap®
QuakeWrap® is more than a manufacturer of FRP materials.
Our team combines expertise in:
- Structural engineering
- FRP design
- Product development
- Manufacturing
- Field installation
- Infrastructure rehabilitation
Since 1994, QuakeWrap® technologies have been used on more than 1,000 infrastructure repair projects in 28 countries.
Our engineers can work with owners, consultants, contractors, and parking-facility operators to develop practical repair solutions for deteriorated structures.
Repair Your Parking Structure Without Adding Corrosion Problems
Parking garages are particularly vulnerable to chloride-induced corrosion because salt can reach the structure from both the surrounding environment and the vehicles using the facility.
FRP provides a high-strength, lightweight, corrosion-resistant solution for restoring and strengthening critical structural components while minimizing disruption to parking operations.
Whether the problem involves a slab, beam, double tee, column, or corbel, QuakeWrap® can help develop an engineered repair solution.
Have a Deteriorated Parking Garage?
Send us photographs, drawings, inspection reports, or structural information and our engineers can review the problem.
Contact QuakeWrap® to discuss your parking-garage repair project.