Mechanics of bonds in an FRP bonded concrete beam

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials have been recognised as new innovative materials for concrete rehabilitation and retrofit. Since concrete is poor in tension, a beam without any form of reinforcement will fail when subjected to a relatively small tensile load. Therefore, the use of the FRP to strengthen the concrete is an effective solution to increase the overall strength of the structure. The attractive benefits of using FRP in real-life civil concrete applications include its high strength to weight ratio, its resistance to corrosion, and its ease of moulding into complex shapes without increasing manufacturing costs. The speed of application minimises the time of closure of a structure compared to other strengthening methods. In this paper, a simple theoretical model to estimate shear and peel-off stresses is proposed. Axial stresses in an FRP-strengthened concrete beam are considered, including the variation in FRP plate fibre orientation. The theoretical predictions are compared with solutions from an experimentally validated finite element model. The results from the theory show that maximum shear and peel-off stresses are located in the end region of the FRP plate. The magnitude of the maximum shear stress increases with increases in the amount of fibres aligned in the beam's longitudinal axis, the modulus of an adhesive material and the number of laminate layers. However, the maximum peel-off stress decreases with increasing thickness of the adhesive layer.