Dominican Republic Ballroom Structural Reinforcement Case Study

I. Project Background

A large commercial dance hall in the Dominican Republic, due to its age and increased load after functional upgrades, exhibited insufficient load-bearing capacity and potential deformation risks in its original structural columns failing to meet current safety regulations and commercial operation requirements. The owner needed to reinforce and strengthen the structure without altering the original decoration style, significantly increasing the structural weight, or shortening the construction period to ensure the dance hall's daily operational safety.

As a core manufacturer of carbon fiber reinforcement materials, HORSE, leveraging its mature carbon fiber cloth/carbon fiber sheet product system and technical service capabilities, provided a complete material solution and technical support for this project, helping the construction team efficiently complete the reinforcement work.

II. Project Challenges and Needs Analysis

• Strict Space Constraints:The dance hall is an open, large space with dense internal columns. Construction must avoid impacting surrounding areas while preserving the original ceiling height and visual appeal.

• High Lightweight Requirements:Traditional reinforced concrete with enlarged cross-sections significantly increases structural weight and foundation load. Lightweight, high-strength materials are required.

• Construction Efficiency Priority:The client desires to minimize construction time and downtime losses. Materials must be easy to transport and install, requiring no large equipment.

• Durability and Compatibility:In the hot and humid Caribbean climate, materials must possess excellent corrosion and aging resistance, bond well to the existing concrete structure, and be compatible with subsequent interior finishing work.

(I) Material Selection

Based on the project characteristics, the HORSE technical team recommends using a carbon fiber reinforcement system. The core materials include:

HORSE high-strength carbon fiber cloth (300g/㎡): tensile strength ≥3800MPa, elastic modulus ≥235GPa, thickness only 0.167mm, significant lightweight characteristics, and can be multi-layered to meet different load-bearing requirements;

Matching carbon fiber impregnating adhesive: A/B two-component, high bonding strength, impermeable and corrosion-resistant, can cure quickly in humid and hot environments, ensuring that the carbon fiber and concrete structure work together to bear the load;

Matching primer and leveling adhesive: optimizes the flatness of the concrete surface, improves the reliability of interface bonding, and avoids problems such as hollow areas and detachment.

(II) Core Reinforcement Technology To address the main load-bearing defects of the ballroom's structural columns, the construction team used HORSE carbon fiber cloth for circumferential reinforcement. The key processes are as follows:

Base Treatment:Grind the concrete column surface to remove laitance, oil, and loose layers; repair damaged areas; ensure the base is dry and flat.

Primer Application:Apply primer evenly to penetrate the concrete and enhance interfacial adhesion.

Leveling Treatment:Fill surface pits and cracks with leveling adhesive to achieve a smooth and flat column surface.

Carbon Fiber Cloth Bonding:Cut the carbon fiber cloth to the designed number of layers, apply impregnation adhesive, and then wrap it circumferentially around the structural column. Roller press to remove air bubbles, ensuring complete adhesion between the material and the concrete.

Cure and Hardening:At room temperature, curing for 24 hours achieves sufficient load-bearing strength, and after 72 hours, it is fully cured, ready for subsequent decoration or use.

The reinforced structural columns have increased their load-bearing capacity by more than 40%, and the deformation is controlled within the allowable range of the specifications, fully meeting the stress requirements when the dance hall is operating at full capacity and eliminating the original safety hazards.