Estimation of bond strength envelopes for old-to-new concrete interfaces based on a cylinder splitting test

The number of existing structures under rehabilitation has significantly increased over the past two decades; these structures typically require performance improvements including repair and strengthening. Currently, reinforced concrete is widely used in interventions for the rehabilitation of bridges and buildings. Here, we present a method for the estimation of failure envelopes for old-to-new concrete interfaces based on plasticity theory. The proposed Carol-type failure envelope uses the simple splitting tension test, also known as the Brazilian test. The relevant parameters of the envelope-f(t)('), the tensile strength, c', cohesion and phi', the friction angle-are assessed by experimentation, a rational formulation and a bibliographic study, respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.