AN IMPROVED CLOSED-FORM SOLUTION TO INTERFACIAL STRESSES IN RC BEAMS STRENGTHENED WITH A COMPOSITE PLATE

The strengthening of concrete structures in situ with externally bonded fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite sheets is increasingly being used for the repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. However, debonding along the FRP-concrete interface can lead to premature failure of the structures. The interfacial stresses have played a significant role in understanding this premature debonding failure of such repaired structures. In this paper, an improved theoretical analysis of the interfacial stresses is presented for a simply supported concrete beam bonded with a FRP plate. The shear strains of the adherends have been included in the present theoretical analysis by assuming a parabolic distribution of shear stress across their thickness. Contrary to some existing studies, the assumption that both adherends have the same curvature is not used in the present investigation. The results of this numerical study are beneficial for understanding the mechanical behavior of material interfaces and for the design of hybrid FRP-reinforced concrete structures.