Fatigue Strengthening of Cracked Steel Beams with Different Configurations and Materials
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 21, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the fatigue behavior of cracked steel beams strengthened using different patch systems and high-strength materials. These materials included normal modulus carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate, high-strength steel (HSS) plate, and SafStrip (SAF) plate. Adhesive bonding and mechanical anchorage were selected to attach these overlays. A digital image correlation (DIC) system was adopted to detect stress distribution at the vicinity of the crack front. Different failure modes were observed for specimens with different retrofitting schemes. Test results showed that, in comparison with control specimens without strengthening, application of these retrofitting materials significantly retarded crack propagation and extended fatigue life of defected steel beams. The stiffness decay and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) were also reduced in repaired cases. Based on the fatigue cycles when the crack propagated to half-height of the steel beam, CFRP laminate with structural adhesive Araldite 420 led to the best strengthening performance. This study extends the understanding of fatigue repair for steel beams and provides some useful suggestions for the strengthening method.
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Acknowledgments
The work described in this paper was supported by Research Grant Council, Hong Kong Special Administrative Zone, China (Project No. CityU124113) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 51508406). The authors wish to express their heartfelt appreciation to Professor Xiang-Lin Gu from Tongji University and Professor Xiao-Ling Zhao from Monash University for supervising the test program. Thanks are due to all the technical staff in the Heavy Structures Testing Lab at City University of Hong Kong, especially Mr. Chan Wan Tong Allan and Mr. Ernest Cheung, for their assistance in carrying out the tests.
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Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 21 • Issue 2 • April 2017
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 4, 2016
Accepted: Jul 27, 2016
Published online: Aug 17, 2016
Discussion open until: Jan 17, 2017
Published in print: Apr 1, 2017
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