Abstract
It has become common practice in the construction industry to use Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) as an efficient means of strengthening concrete structures. FRCM is used in today's construction industry to repair and strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) beams to make them stronger, prevent them from failing and deteriorating. This allows buildings and structures to stand for longer and be able to support their designed loads for the foreseeable future. The purpose of this work is to provide an analysis of several research work that explores the usage of FRCM as a method to repair and strengthen RC beams. A comparison was made in these research articles between the use of Carbon-(C)-FRCM and polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO)-FRCM materials, which is a key focus of this research. The review examines how PBO-FRCM and C-FRCM work to improve flexural performance in RC beams, comparing their effects on load-bearing capacity, ductility, failure modes and resistance to failure. Studies show that PBO-FRCM tends to enhance the beam's ability to deform without breaking, offering greater ductility, which is beneficial in structures needing resilience against dynamic loads. While C-FRCMs are stronger and they have been shown to have a higher load capacity, making it a good choice for structures that need to support heavy loads.