## 1 Introduction  
During seismic excitations, structural damages are most frequently observed at the end parts of the columns and at the connections of the columns with the beams. The extent and the severity of the damages are often significant for reinforced concrete (RC) structures built to older regulations. This is due to inadequate older provisions that very often resulted in the construction of buildings with insufficient reinforcement in the critical end parts of the columns. Furthermore, the total lack of stirrups within the connection panel of the columns with the beams is also a very common characteristic of most of the older buildings. Thereupon, it is evident that in earthquake prone areas the scientific investigation of methods for the strengthening of deficient columns and their connections to beams is of utmost importance. One well-known, effective and widely used method for the strengthening of structural elements is the application of high strength reinforced concrete jacketing [1; 2; 3]. The application of thin jackets using high strength cement mortar and dense small diameter reinforcements has also been experimentally investigated and reported in the literature [4]. Nevertheless, jacketing techniques require extensive labor, reinforcement detailing, and a long disruption period in the usability of the building. In recent decades, the application of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sheets has been studied and proposed as an alternative method for the strengthening of RC beam-column joints [5; 6]. FRP sheets in different configurations have been externally bonded onto full scale RC joints to provide reinforcing fibers in critical directions and ensure increased shear strength [7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12]. It is important that the usage of FRP sheets instead of jacketing reduces the application demands in terms of reinforcement detailing, construction labor and disruption periods. In general, based on the obtained results, FRP strengthening succeeded in improving the structural behavior of the joints [13; 14; 15; 16]. However, applying U-form jacketing to beams [17] inherent restrictions due to the existence of slabs usually exist and in case of strengthening of beam-column connections [5; 6] geometrical obstacles from the transversal beams also appear. These application problems often limit the effectiveness of the FRP sheets and in some cases render the method not even feasible to apply. A new and easily applied strengthening technique based on Near Surface Mounted (NSM) reinforcements has also been repeatedly presented in recent literature. The NSM techniques usually use FRP bars or new steel products. These techniques have been reported for the strengthening of reinforced concrete slabs [18]; externally applied steel meshes [19] and external bars [20] have also been reported. Moreover, carbon FRP bars as an alternative to steel reinforcements are studied and reported, too [21; 22]. Recently, flexible ropes of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (C-FRP) applied as external reinforcement for the strengthening of the body of beam-column joints have been experimentally investigated and reported in the literature [23; 24]. Flexible composite rope strengthening has offered some unique application advantages as it allows for external wrapping of columns even without the use of impregnation or bonding agents. It is self-anchored and presents non-fracture and strain redistribution characteristics prolonging the axial strain ductility of the RC column and protecting it against collapse [25; 26]. Carbon FRP ropes with resin impregnation were successfully applied as near-surface mounted (NSM) or as embedded through section (ETS) in joints [27]. Resin-impregnated FRP ropes have been used as flexural or shear strengthening reinforcement in beams [28]. Further, comparison of this technique with the use of FRP sheets for the strengthening of the beam-column joints has also been reported [29].