Patent ID: 7533509

Claim:
A method for strengthening a concrete structural member which includes a joint region of a column and a beam, comprising the steps of: (a) hollowing the joint region of the concrete structural member to expose vertical and horizontal reinforcement rebars embedded in the joint region; (b) winding at least one cable around the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars or the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars, the cable including a plurality of wires twisted together; and (c) filling the joint region with concrete to embed the column and beam reinforcement rebars, wherein a plurality of the cables are used, the cables including a pluraliy of first set of cables and a plurality of second set of cables, the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars intersecting the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars, and wherein step (b) includes embracing the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars with the first set of cables, and embracing the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars with the second set of cables, and wherein the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars are embraced by winding each of the first set of cables around the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars and by respectively fastening two end portions of each of the first set of cables to at least one of the exposed vertical reinforcement rebars, and wherein the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars are embraced by winding each of the second set of cables around the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars and by respectively fastening two end portions of each of the second set of cables to at least one of the exposed horizontal reinforcement rebars.