Materials and Structures/Materiaux et Constructions, Vol.

34, August-September 2001, pp 418-425

Analysis and design of FRP externally-reinforced
concrete beams against debonding-type failures
M. Maalej, W. H. Goh and P. Paramasivam
Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Drive 2, Singapore 117576
Paper received:June 22, 2000; Paper accepted: March 1, 2001
A B S T R A C T R I~ S U M I~
Epoxy-bonding of FRP plates to the tensile face of
RC beams has been shown to be an effective repair and
strengthening technique. However, local failure by
debondi ng or ri ppi ng of concret e cover has been
reported in experiments to be a likely mode of failure
due to high interfacial shear and normal stress concen-
trations, Predictive models for finding the interracial
shear stress have been reviewed and evaluated using
experimental data reported in the literature. The most
critical parameters governi ng the interracial shear
strength and stress as determined by the models were
also examined. Through understanding of the condi-
tions that result in debonding failure, a better approach
towards designing FRP-plated RC beams against this
mode of failure might be achieved.
Le renforcement externe d elements en b~ton arme a l' aide de
plaques synthdtiques ret~rc&s de fibres ( FRP) , s' est rdvdld & e
u n e t e c h n i q u e ef f i cace de r & a b i l i t a t i o n des s t r uc t ur e s .
Cependant, la rupture locale par d&ollement ou fissure du bdton
a dtd pr&ent& dans des essais comme le mode de rupture le plus
f rdquent a cause de la f ort e concentration des contraintes de
cisaillement et normales a u x ext r dmi t & des pl aques. De s
modules th&riques visant 21 trouver les contraintes de cisaillement
ont dtd examin& et &atu& en utitisant des donn&s exp&imen-
tales rapport&s clans la litt&ature. Les param~tres les plus cri-
tiques gouvernant la contrainte de cisaillement et la rdsistance au
cisaillement de l'interface colle-bdton, comme ddtermind par les
modeles th&riques, ont aussi dtd e x ami n& Pour comprendre les
(frets qui r&ultent de la rupture par d&ollement, une meilleure
mdthode de conception peut ~tre r&lis& afin d'dliminer ou de
retarder ce mode de rupture.
1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
Repair and strengthening of RC members with EB-
FRP (Externally-Bonded Fibre Reinforced Polymer) has
evolved progressively over the past decade. For beam
members, failure can occur due to flexural compression,
beam shear, FRP r upt ur e, or FRP debondi ng.
Debonding-type failures are prevalent in beam tests
reported in the literature. The prevalence of &bonding
failures among each of the other modes emphasizes the
need either for reliable means of preventing this type of
failure or for a practical met hod of predi ct i ng it.
Attempts to address this need can be seen in recent pub-
lications where approximate analyses were used to com-
pute the shear and normal stress concentrations in the
adhesive layer of FRP-plated RC beams. The recently
published work was motivated by observations that pre-
mature failures may occur because of shear and normal
stress concentrations at FRP cut-off points and at flex-
ural cracks along the beam, resulting in debonding or
ripping of the concrete cover along the level of conven-
tional internal reinforcement. The recently proposed
methods to predict and prevent premature failure of
FRP-plated RC beams are timely; however, such meth-
ods need further testing and evaluations before they can
be relied upon in practice.
For a given strengthening application, the primary
issue is to decide what type of FRP reinforcing system
and how much EB-FRP flexural reinforcement should
be used. The ideal system would be one where the FRP
properties are fully utilized. Published data in the litera-
ture indicate that the efficiency of FRP external rein-
forcement and the duct i l i t y of FRP-pl at ed beams
decrease with increasing FRP axial rigidity (area times
elastic modulus) due to premature failure [1]. In this
paper, state-of-the-art methods for the analysis and
design ofFRP-plated RC beams against &bonding type
failures are reviewed and evaluated using experimental
1359-5997/01 9 RILEM 41 8
Maalej, Goh, Paramasivam
data reported i n the literature. An i mport ant goal of this
study is t hen to use the proposed models to derive rela-
tionships bet ween FRP efficiency and FRP axial rigidity
t hat des i gner s can use t o pr e di c t f ai l ur e mo d e and
achieve an opport une balance bet ween strength gain and
deflection capacity.
2. REVI EW OF PREDI CTI NG MODELS
A number of published articles dealt wi t h the topic of
predicting the failure mode of concrete beams strength-
ened in flexure wi t h externally-bonded reinforcement [2-
8]. Among t he studies that focused on the debondi ng
mode of failure, Roberts' study [2] was the first to provide
specific analytical equations, whi ch may be used to predict
&bondi ng failure or design against it. Specifically, the
above-referenced study led to the development of a model
for p r e d i c t i n g t he shear and n o r ma l stresses at t he
FRP/concrete interface. This model is considered in tiffs
paper for t he purpose o f r evi ew and eval uat i on usi ng
experimental data reported in the literature.
Robert s' model [2] was originally proposed for the
analysis of steel-plated RC beams. The analysis was pre-
sented in 3 stages. In the first stage, stresses were deter-
mi ned assuming fully composite action bet ween the RC
beam and the adhesive-bonded steel plate. In the second
and third stages, the analysis was modi fi ed to take into
account the actual boundary conditions at the steel plate
curtailment. The complete solution was t hen obtained
by superposition. In this model, a cracked section trans-
f or med i nt o a steel plate equi val ent was used i n t he
analysis. The governing equations for the shear and nor -
mal stress distributions are given by:
F F ( x ) , , 1
____1 [ - T - - b p d p (hp - h )
/
z(x) = ba [+ ~ t{ _ tl0 sinh~xx ~ t l o c ~ 1 7 6 t l a coshctx~
sinh~ta j ]
( 1 )
( 2 )
where
I
]0.5
K ~
0t = E p b p d p
( 3 )
_ [ K n -]0.25
(4)
t l o = _ M ~ b p d p ( h p - h )
( 5 )
t l a = ~ - ~ - a b p d p ( h p - h )
(6)
b a
K s = O a d-- 7
K n = E b a
a d a
( E p I p "~
m20 = M ~ I p + E c I c )
(7)
( 8 )
(9)
( E p l p ] + ( . t l 0 + ~ 2 0 ) b a d p / 2
f20 = F 0 / E p I p + E c I c
( l O )
" 1 : 1 0 1 [ F o
= b p d d h p - h ) 1
z2~ = b-~[ct{t 1~ c~ a a - t l a}] s i n h c t a
and
a =
b c, bp, b a =
d c, d[, d a =
Eo ffp, Ea
F 0 , Fa =
f20 =
O
a =
h =
hP =
I o Ip =
=
K s =
M 0 , M a =
m20 =
t l 0 , t l a =
X =
(~ =
y =
o ( x ) =
( x ) =
"~10, "C20 =
(11)
( 1 2 )
Length of steal plate
Wi dt h of concrete, steel plate, adhesive
Dept h of concrete, steel plate, adhesive
Elastic modul us o f concr et e, steel pl at e,
adhesive
Global shear force at x = 0, x = a
Shear force in plate at solution development
stage 2 (x = 0)
Shear modul us of adhesive
Dept h of neut ral axis comput ed based on
cracked section analysis
Effective depth of steel plate
Second moment of area of the transformed
equi val ent steel sect i on about t he neut r al
axis based on cracked section analysis
Second mo me n t o f area about i ndi vi dual
centroid for concrete, steel plate
Adhesive normal stiffness per uni t length
Adhesive shear stiffness per uni t length
Global bendi ng moment at x -- 0, x = a
Bendi ng mome nt i n steel plate at solution
development stage 2 (x = 0)
Axial force i n steel plate at solution devel-
opment stage 1 at x = 0, x =a
Di st ance along steel plate measur ed f r om
plate cut - of f
Coef f i ci ent used i n ~c (x) and def i ned by
Equation (3)
Coef f i ci ent used i n o (x) and def i ned by
Equation (4)
Nor mal stress at a distance x from plate cut -
off
Interfacial shear stress at a distance x from
plate cut off
Shear stress i n adhesive at solution develop-
ment stage 1, 2 (x = 0)
Rober t s [2] compar ed t he shear stress di st ri but i on
obtained from Equation (1) wi t h a mor e rigorous solu-
4 1 9
Materials and Structures/Mat~riaux et Constructions, Vol. 34, August-September 2001
Fig. 1 - Reinforced concrete beam with externally-bonded FRP showing important parameters used in
Roberts' model.
Fig. 2 - Results predicted by Roberts for beam C with load P/2 =
100kN.
tion based on partial interaction theory [8] as well as
with experimental results presented by Jones et al. [4]. It
was concl uded t hat the above sol ut i on (given by
Equation (1)) underestimated the magnitude of the stress
concent rat i on by up to 30%, due primarily to the
approximations made during the first stage of the solu-
tion. Roberts [2] proposed a correction by replacing M 0
(the value of the global mome nt at x = 0 used in
Equations (5) and (9)) by a modi fi ed moment M*,
which is the value of the global moment at x = (dc+dp)/2
from the end of the steel plate (see Fig. 1). This correc-
tion resulted in satisfactory correlation between the
model prediction and both the more rigorous solution
based on partial interaction theory [8] and the available
test data [4]. The resulting model is referred to in this
paper as Roberts' revised model.
When the dept h of neut ral axis h, the second
moment of area of the equivalent steel section I, and the
second moment of area of the concrete about its individ-
ual cent r oi d I c are comput ed on the basis of an
uncracked concrete section, Equations (1)-(12) lead to
Roberts' uncracked section model, the results of which
will briefly be touched upon in this paper.
Comparisons were
initially made between
the results predicted by
the above-referenced
models for a RC beam
with reported proper-
ties of the concret e,
steel rei nforcement ,
FRP and adhesive used
[9]. All models pre-
dicted that stress con-
centrations are rapidly
reduced as the distance
from the plate cutoff is
increased. However,
the results from the
models differed in the
following:
(1) As indicated in
Fig. 2, Roberts' revised model predicted shear stress
concentrations at the plate cutoff that were significantly
higher than those predicted by Roberts' original model.
This is expected as the end moment used in Roberts'
revised model was a corrected moment (M*) at a dis-
tance of approximately half-beam depth from the plate
cutoff (see Fig. 1), instead of the global moment at the
plate cutoff itself(M0). The level of significance of using
this corrected moment would depend on the depth of
the beam and plate used. Deep beams and plates would
require a larger correction, thus making the corrected
and uncorrected moments significantly more different.
(2) When an uncracked section is transformed into a
plate equivalent, and a plate end moment M* was used in
Roberts' model, the predicted results were significantly
lower than those predicted by both Roberts' original
model and Roberts' revised model (where a cracked sec-
tion transformed into a plate equivalent was assumed).
3. PARAMETERS AFFECTING INTERFACIAL
SHEAR STRESS
Experimental data on thirty FRP-plated RC beams
with reported failure modes and FRP strains at failure
were gathered from an experimental database compiled
recently by Bonacci and Maalej [1]. The original data
for the beams were reported in References [9-18]. The
beams were analyzed using the Roberts' revised model.
Properties of the adhesives were assumed if they had not
been reported. In addition to using the model for pre-
dicting the interracial shear stress, flexural analysis was
performed at the same time to determine the FRP strain
at the critical beam section for bending and to monitor
the strain in the concrete at the extreme compression
fibre. This enabled the determination of whether the
beams would fail by flexural compression of concrete or
tensile rupture of FRP prior to debonding.
Roberts' revised model predicted high interfacial
shear stresses (compared to Roberts' original model or
Roberts' uncracked section model) due to its adoption of
420
Maalej, Goh, Paramasivam
Table 1 - Properties of FRP and adhesive provided by manufacturers
Property Proprietary System 1 Proprietary System 2
Elastic modulus of adhesive (MPa) 12800 1470
Shear modulus of adhesive (MPa) 2000 565
Adhesive layer thickness (mm) 2 0.636
Elastic modulus of FRP ( M P a ) 165, 210, 300 230
Tensile rupture strength of FRP ( MPa ) 2800, 2400, 1300 3400
Tensile rupture strain of FRP (mm/mm) 0.017, 0.012, 0.0045 0.014
a cracked section and use o f a correct ed end mo me n t
M*. This suggests that the mode of failure is unlikely to
be fl exural compr essi on or FRP r upt ur e as t he hi gh
interfacial shear stress is likely to result i n debondi ng fail-
ure. It is not ed that when Roberts' revised model pre-
diction of debondi ng failure corresponded well wi t h the
actual failure mode, t he failure loads predi ct ed by t he
s ame mo d e l we r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y l o we r t h a n t hos e
reported. In cases where bot h predi ct ed failure modes
and actual failure modes were by concrete compression
or FRP rupture, p r e d i c t e d and actual failure loads were
found to be in close agreement. In these cases, predicted
i nt er f aci al shear stresses we r e not hi gh
enough to cause &bondi ng- t ype failures.
As such, the failure loads and modes from
flexural analysis are expected to be close to
those from experimental data.
Using Robert s' revised model , a para-
metric study was conduct ed to det ermi ne
t he most cri t i cal paramet ers cont r ol l i ng
interracial shear stresses wi t hi n the beam.
The fol l owi ng parameters wer e f ound to
be t he mos t i mp o r t a n t : (1) F RP pl at e
thickness, (2) FRP modulus, (3) adhesive shear modul us
and (4) adhesive thickness. Studies were conduct ed to
find out how each of these parameters affects the FRP
e f f i c i e n c y ( d e f i n e d as t he F RP s t r ai n at a c t ua l
f ai l ur e/ FRP r upt ur e strain) and t he mode o f failure.
Factors affecting the interfacial shear strength were also
exami ned based on a model proposed by Chaalal e t al.
{61
3 . 1 E f f e c t o f F R P t h i c k n e s s o n F R P e f f i c i e n c y
a t d e b o n d i n g
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0.0
4 ~ o Exp. Data (No Anch.)
~i , x \ [] Exp. Dat a ( Anch. )
i~ i ~ -*-SM2 (CFRP, Type 1)
~o ~
~. ~ . ~ -~- B2 (CFRP, Type 1)
i i
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
ApEp/A~Es
Fig. 3 - Comparison between experimental data and results pre-
di ct ed by Roberts' revised model . The terms C, P2, SM2 and B2
refer t o FRP- st rengt hened beams tested i n studies [9], [10], [11],
and [12], respectively. GFRP refers to glass fibre reinforced poly-
mer, and Type 1 refers to t he adhesi ve o f proprietary syst em 1
(Table 1).
1.0
C
C
~.4
C.2
( . 0
o Exp. Data (No Anch.)
o Exp. Data (Anch.)
-_. SM2 (CFRP, Type 2)
o , - SM2 (Propriety System 2)
~ , t~ - - S M2 (CFRP, Type 1)
:
F q F
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
ApEp/AsE~
Fig. 4 - Effect of adhesi ve properti es on FRP e f f i c i e nc y as pre-
di ct ed by Robert s' revi sed mode l .
On e o f t he most cri t i cal paramet ers affect i ng t he
i nt e r f a c i a l shear stress is t he F RP pl at e t hi cknes s .
Expe r i me nt a l data had be e n ga t he r e d and compi l ed
whi ch reflect the FRP strain at the beam critical section
for bendi ng at failure. For progressively increasing loads,
Roberts' revised model was used to predict the interfa-
cial shear stress at the plate cutoff. The corresponding
FRP strain at the critical beam section was also calcu-
lated from sectional analysis. In the absence of report ed
values o f adhesive elastic and shear modul i , adhesive
properties from two proprietary systems (adhesive type 1
and adhesive type 2) were assumed for beams reinforced
wi t h C F R P ( Ca r b o n Fi br e Re i n f o r c e d Po l y me r ) .
Unless stated otherwise, the adhesive used i n proprietary
s ys t em 1 was a d o p t e d f or CF RP - p l a t e d beams by
default. The properties of these two proprietarY systems
and their corresponding adhesives are shown in Table 1.
Re p o r t e d exper i ment al data and results f r om t he
above analysis (solids lines) are shown in Figs. 3-4. Not e
that the theoretically-predicted curves have been gener-
ated assuming that &bondi ng failures take place whe n
t he ma x i mu m shear stress at t he FRP c u t - o f f poi nt
exceeds t he interfacial shear st rengt h (to be discussed
later). The experi ment al data show a general t rend of
decreasing FRP efficiency wi t h increasing FRP relative
axial rigidity (A E/AsEs), wher e A , A s, E and E~ are
. P P . P .P
the cross-sectional areas and elastic moduh of the FRP
and longitudinal steel, respectively. This is expected as
i nt er r aci al shear stress c onc e nt r a t i on i ncreases wi t h
increasing thickness of the FRP plate. At the onset of
debondi ng, t he stress i n t he FRP plate at t he critical
beam- s ect i on for bendi ng woul d t hus decrease wi t h
increasing FRP thickness. Experimental data reviewed
i n this study showed that measured FRP strains at criti-
cal beam sections for bendi ng were generally hi gher for
anchored beams than for those non-anchored. This was
4 2 1
Materials and Structures/Materiaux et Constructions, Vol. 34, August-September 2001
because stress concent r at i on was reduced at t he poi nt s of
anchor age, t her eby del ayi ng t he onset o f de bondi ng.
Thi s allowed t he FRP plate to develop a significant part
of its tensile r upt ur e strain pr i or to debondi ng, leading t o
hi gher FRP efficiency. Fr om t he experi ment al t rend, it
appears t hat l i mi t i ng t he FRP thickness, and hence t he
relative axial rigidity, woul d increase t he FRP efficiency
at debondi ng. Thi s woul d, however, reduce t he cross
sectional area of t he FRP required for flexural st rengt h-
ening. The wi dt h of t he FRP plate should, therefore, be
as wi de as possible to provi de t he necessary FRP cross-
sectional area required for flexural strength.
Fr om Fig. 3, Rober t s' revised model appears to pre-
dict results t hat are generally i n close agr eement wi t h t he
actual t r end set by t he experi ment al data. At l ow relative
axial ri gi di t y (A E/ AsEs) , FRP &b o n d i n g takes place
p
after t he FRP ~ v e l o p s a si gni fi cant part o f its tensile
r u p t u r e s t r a i n, l e a d i n g t o a h i g h F RP e f f i c i e n c y .
However, t he failure load is generally not hi gh enough
t o cause t he beam to fail by flexural compressi on first.
Th e beams reinforced wi t h CF RP adopt i ng t he adhesive
pr ope r t i e s o f p r o p r i e t a r y syst em 1 (adhesi ve t ype 1)
resulted i n l ower FRP efficiencies at &b o n d i n g failure
compar ed t o t he actual experi ment al data. Thi s coul d be
due t o t he use o f i nappropri at e values for t he elastic and
shear modul i o f t he adhesive, whi ch appeared to be very
stiff(E a = 12800 MPa, G a = 2000 MPa).
A c ompa r i s on was ma de for be a m SM2 t est ed by
Ar dui ni and Na nni [11] for whi ch a less-stiff adhesive
(adhesive type 2) used i n t he pr opr i et ar y system 2 was
adopt ed (see Fig. 4). It was f ound t hat t he interfacial
shear stress i n t he beam was l owered for t he same load.
Thi s al l owed t he FRP plate at t he critical sect i on for
bendi ng to develop hi gher stresses at debondi ng, leading
t o an increased FRP efficiency. Th e actual FRP effi -
ciency o f 0. 40 at a relative axial rigidity of 0.60 for beam
SM2 was still hi gher t han the FRP efficiency c omput e d
wh e n Rober t s' revised model was used. Thi s suggests
t hat t he actual adhesive used in SM2 is probably less stiff
t han bot h adhesives used i n propri et ary systems 1 and 2.
It coul d t hus be seen t hat t he propert i es of t he adhesive
pl ay an i mp o r t a n t rol e i n d e t e r mi n i n g t he i nt erfaci al
shear stresses, and ul t i mat el y, t he FRP ef f i ci ency and
failure load. I n what follows, Rober t s ' revised mode l
was used again t o evaluate t he effect of ot her parameters
on t he interfacial shear stress and FRP efficiency.
3.2 Effect of adhesive shear modulus on FRP
efficiency at debonding
Two adhesi ve par amet er s, t he shear mo d u l u s and
t hi ckness, wer e f ound t o affect t he FRP ef f i ci ency at
debondi ng failure significandy. The properties of the FRP
system used i n beam C tested by Saadatmanesh and Ehsani
[9] were adopted for analysis in this case. The shear mo d u -
lus of the adhesive was first varied and its effect on FRP
efficiency at debondi ng was studied. As can be seen from
Fig. 5, t he FRP efficiency was reduced from about 85% to
less than 70% when the shear modul us of the adhesive was
1.0
0. 8
.~ 0. 6
o 0. 4
r~
0. 2
0. 0
240 260 280 300 320 340
A d h e s i v e s h e a r m o d u l u s G a ( MP a )
Fig. 5 - Vari at i on of FRP efficiency wi t h adhesi ve shear modul us.
increased from 240 MPa to 320 MPa. Thi s suggests that a
less-stiff adhesive should be used to reduce the interracial
shear stresses that woul d lead to debonding. However, it
should be realized that it may not be possible to i ndepen-
dently change t he shear modul us of t he adhesive wi t hout
changi ng ot her adhesi ve-rel at ed pr oper t i es such as t he
interfacial shear strength. For the purpose of det ermi ni ng
t he shear modul us of t he adhesive, t he "St andard Test
Me t h o d f or Shear S t r e n g t h a nd Shear Mo d u l u s o f
Structural Adhesives" doc ume nt e d in ASTM E 229-97
[19], could be performed.
3.3 Effect of adhesive thickness on FRP
efficiency at debonding
Th e ot her adhesive par amet er t hat affects t he FRP
efficiency at debondi ng is t he thickness. Parameters for
b e a m C we r e o n c e agai n a d o p t e d . Al l p a r a me t e r s
r emai ned unchanged whi l e t he adhesive t hi ckness was
varied. The FRP efficiency was f ound to increase sig-
nificantly wi t h increasing adhesive thickness (see Fig. 6).
Thi s is due to a significant r educt i on i n interfacial shear
stress combi ned wi t h a small increase i n interfacial shear
strength (as predi ct ed by Chaalal e t al . [6]. See next sec-
t i on) . In gener al , t he r equi r ed t hi ckness o f adhesi ve
d e p e n d s o n t he t hi c kne s s o f t he F RP pl at e, wi t h a
t hi cker plate requi ri ng a t hi cker layer o f adhesive t o be
1.0
es
ga
[..r.
0. 8
0.6
0.4
0. 2
0. 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Ad h e s i v e l a y e r t h i c k n e s s d a ( m m )
Fig. 6 - Vari at i on of FRP efficiency wi t h adhesi ve layer thickness.
4 2 2
M a a l e j , G o h , P a ra m a s iv a m
applied for full contact bet ween the FRP plate and the
concrete surface. Experi ment al data, however, suggest
that the bond strength decreases wi t h increasing gl ue-
line thickness [20]. Even t hough a thicker adhesive layer
appeared to be conduci ve i n reduci ng interfacial shear
stress c onc e nt r a t i ons accor di ng to Robe r t s ' r evi sed
model , the need to control the adhesive thickness woul d
still exist due to potentially weaker bond strengths for
thicker adhesive layers.
From the parametric studies, it was observed that the
most critical parameters controlling the interfacial shear
stresses are the FRP plate thickness, FRP modulus, adhe-
sive shear modulus and the adhesive thickness. By com-
paring the trends set by the experimental data and results
generated by the predictive model, it appears that Roberts'
revised model could indeed be used to predict debonding
type failures. An experimental program, however, should
be conducted to determine the elastic and shear moduli of
the adhesive as these parameters play an important role i n
determining the interfacial shear stresses.
4. PARAMETERS AFFECTING INTERFACIAL
SHEAR STRENGTH
The adhesive interfacial shear strength ('Cu) was com-
put ed based on an expression given by Chaalal e t a l . [6].
The proposed expression t ook into account the effect of
normal stress concent rat i on at the plate curt ai l ment as
given by Robert s' model:
5.4
Zu - 1+'r tan33 ~ (13)
where is 3' given by Equation (4).
For a given adhesive, factors that i nfl uence "~u include
the adhesive thickness, the FRP plate thickness and the
FRP elastic modul us . De b o n d i n g occur s wh e n t he
i nt er f aci al shear stress exceeds t he i nt er f aci al shear
strength. However , wh e n t he FRP plate thickness is
small, ot her modes of failure (such as concrete flexural
compression and FRP rupture) are also possible before
the interfacial shear stress can exceed the interfacial shear
strength. As can be seen from Fig. 7 based on beam P2
tested by Sharif e t a l . [10], t he interfacial shear strength
drops wi t h increasing FRP plate thickness. The inter fa-
cial shear stress, however, increases as t he FRP plate
thickness is increased. The range of FRP thickness at
whi ch &bondi ng mi ght occur was found to vary widely
dependi ng on the thickness and the mechanical proper-
ties of the FRP and adhesive used.
Figs. 7-8 show the effect of using a stiffer FRP plate
on t he FRP thickness at debondi ng. The FRP plate
thickness at debondi ng decreased from 1.8 mm to about
0.37 mm whe n the FRP elastic modul us was increased
from 14.9 GPa to 40 GPa. For an FRP plate of 0.5 mm
thickness, wh e n E_ is i ncreased f r om 14.9 GPa to 40
9 . P .
GPa, the interracial shear stress increased from 2.0 MPa
to 5.2 MPa, whi l e the interracial shear strength increased
f r om 4. 2 MPa to 4.5 MPa. Thi s suggests t hat t he
increase i n interracial shear strength di d not out wei gh
5
~' , 4
2
1
0
~ ~ ~ p ~ 00kN
Shear strength / ~ - - "
" S h e a r s ~ " ~ / E p = ! 4 - g G P a
/ ~ Ea = 300 MP a
J Ga = 120 MP a
i l l ( d a = l mm
0 0. 5 1.0 1.5 2. 0
F l i p pl ate t h i c k n e s s dp (ram)
2. 5
F i g . 7 - Vari at i on of i n t e r f a c i a l s h e a r s t r e n g t h / s t r e s s wi t h FRP
p l a t e t h i c k n e s s f o r beam P2.
5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
0.25
- , t
K / / / - + - Shear s u v n ~
--~- ~ stress
F_p = 4 0 C ~
0.45 0.65
p~te t h i d ~ s s ~, ( m )
F i g . 8 - V a r i a t i o n o f i n t e r r a c i a l s h e a r s t r e n g t h / s t r e s s wi t h FRP
p l a t e t h i c k n e s s f o r b e a m P 2 ( E p = 40 GPa).
4.4
4 2 9
3.8 = 2 mm
3.6
"~ 3.4 - - ~ Shear strength
Shear stress
3.2
3.0
2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2
F RP plate t hi cknes s dp (ram)
Fig. 9 - Vari at i on of i n t e r f a c i a l s h e a r s t r e n g t h / s t r e s s wi t h FRP
p l a t e t h i c k n e s s f o r beam P2 (d a = 2mm) .
the increase in interracial shear stress whe n a stiffer FRP
plate was used. The stiffness of the FRP plate is t here-
fore an i mport ant parameter to control when designing
FRP-st rengt hened RC beams against &bondi ng failure.
Figs. 7 and 9 show the effect of varying the thickness of
the adhesive layer on the FRP thickness at debondmg (the
adhesive thickness was increased from 1 mm to 2 ram).
The effect of this change was to increase the FRP thickness
at &bondi ng from about 1.8 mm to about 2.7 ram. This
is due to a significant reduction in inteffacial shear stress as
423
Materi al s and S tructures /Materi aux et Constructions, Vol. 34, August-September 2001
Table 2 - Effect of changi ng various parameters
on the interracial shear strength and stress
Factor Interracial shear stress Interracial shear strength
Roberts' revised model [ 2 ] Chaal al etal. [ 6 ]
? E a ??
?d a ~ ?
? ? Strong dependence on the factor, ? Weale depende,,a' o , the factor,
predicted by Roberts' revised model and a small increase in
interracial shear strength as predicted by Chaalal e t a l . [6].
For an FRP plate of 2 mm thickness, the interfacial shear
stress according to Roberts' revised model decreases from
4.5 MPa to 3.4 MPa when d a is increased from 1 mm to
2 mm. The corresponding increase in interracial shear
strength according to Chaalal e t a l . [6] is from 4.0 MPa to
4.1 MPa. As pointed out earlier, the latter result is incon-
sistent wi t h experimental data showing decreasing bond
s t r e ngt h wi t h i nc r e a s i ng g l u e - l i n e t hi c kne s s [20].
Whenever possible, ' direct measurements of the interracial
bond strength bet ween the FRP plate and the concrete
surface should therefore be under t aken for the type of
adhesive to be used. From a practical standpoint, however,
most propri et ary systems have r ecommended adhesive
thicknesses that should be used and for whi ch data on
interracial bond strength may be obtained from the manu-
facturer.
Table 2 shows a summary of the effect of changing
different FRP and adhesive parameters on the interfacial
shear stress and strength. The table shows that the fac-
tors t hat affect t he interracial shear stress woul d also
affect the interfacial shear strength, but to a lesser extent.
The effect of these parameters, particularly on the i nt er-
facial shear stress, should therefore be taken into account
when designing an FRP-st rengt hened RC beam.
Bonacci and Maale] [1] studied the behavioral trends
of RC beams st rengt hened in flexure wi t h externally-
bonded FRP by compiling and analyzing an experi men-
tal database. The de f l e c t i on rat i o for s t r e ngt he ne d
beams (defined as the midspan deflection at peak load of
a strengthened beam divided by the midspan deflection
at peak load of a cont rol beam) was found to increase
wi t h increasing FRP effi ci ency ratio. Fig. 3 suggests
t hat t he l at t er decreases wi t h i ncreasi ng relative axial
rigidity (ApEp/AsEs). Therefore, one woul d expect the
def l ect i on ratio to decrease wi t h increasinr A E /A E
I D p S S
ratio. By l i mi t i ng A E / As E , it woul d be possible to
p 13 s
prevent or delay debondl ng type failures as well as ensure
adequate deflection capacity.
For a given st rengt heni ng application, a pr e- det er -
mi ned strengthening ratio (defined as the strength of the
be a m wi t h e x t e r n a l l y - b o n d e d F RP di vi ded by t he
strength of the conventionally reinforced control beam)
woul d be targeted. Given that numer ous propri et ary
FRP st rengt heni ng systems are current l y available, the
opt i mum system to use woul d be one that meets the tar-
geted strengthening ratio whi l e limiting the A E/ As E ~
9 . P
ratio. In this case, it woul d be possible to achieve an
opport une balance bet ween strength gain and deflection
capacity. For this purpose, FRP efficiency-relative axial
rigidity trends (such as those shown in Fig. 3) can be
established from experi ment s and/ or analytical models
(such as Roberts' revised model) and used to guide the
opt i mum design of FRP- st r engt hened RC beams.
Whi l e t he focus of t he pr esent paper was on one
aspect of the short -t erm structural performance of FRP
strengthened beams, the l ong- t er m performance is also
very important. Specifically, the durability of an FRP
strengthening system under cyclic freezing and thawing,
aggressive substances, and fatigue needs to be considered
in design. In addition, the designer should be aware that
FRP plates generally do not have sufficient fire resis-
tance for many applications, and therefore oft en need
additional protection.
5. CONCLUSI ONS
In this study, predictive models for det ermi ni ng the
interfacial shear stress di st ri but i on i n FRP- pl at ed RC
beams have been reviewed and evaluated using experi-
ment al data reported in the literature. The most critical
paramet ers gover ni ng t he interfacial shear stress (and
strength) as det ermi ned by the reviewed predictive mod-
els were also examined. Roberts' revised model , derived
on the basis of a cracked beam section and a modi f i ed
moment M*, predicted results that were in close agree-
me nt wi t h actual t r end set by t he exper i ment al data.
Experimental as well as model results revealed that the
FRP efficiency increases wi t h decreasing FRP relative
axial rigidity. In addition, data reported in the literature
suggested a direct relationship bet ween beam deflection
capacity and FRP efficiency. Wi t h t he availability of
numer ous pr opr i et ar y FRP st r engt heni ng systems, it
woul d be possible to select an FRP strengthening system
whi ch offer an opport une balance bet ween strength gain
and deflection capacity for a given application.
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