Journal of Composites for Construction

Failure of concrete beam sections underreinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is initiated by FRP rupture before concrete crushing. In such a case, the typical rectangular stress block based on the balanced failure mechanism may not apply. In the present study, rigorous sectional analyses are performed implementing existing concrete stress-strain models for a wide range of values of design parameters. Based on the results of the numerical analyses, the variation of parameters of equivalent stress block of concrete was investigated, and an alternative, yet simple, design method for evaluating moment-carrying capacity of FRP underreinforced concrete beam using quasi-balanced failure approach was developed. The proposed design method was verified by comparing the predicted moment-carrying capacity with existing test results.

This paper presents the recent progress and achievement in the application of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) on strengthening reinforced/prestressed concrete beams subjected to fatigue loading. Although the performance of FRP-strengthened structures under monotonic loading has been intensively investigated, fatigue behavior is relatively less known to date. This paper summarizes most of the currently available literature, including the codes and design manuals, on reinforced/prestressed concrete beams externally strengthened with FRP. The review focuses specifically on the fatigue life as a function of the applied load range, bond behavior of externally bonded FRP, damage accumulation, crack propagation, size effects, residual strength, and failure modes. Research needs including considerations for design guidelines are presented.

The use of adhesively bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials has become widely accepted for use in flexural strengthening applications; however, the method of attachment presents drawbacks in application. These include extensive time and labor investments, as well as a tendency of the system to fail in a brittle manner. This paper presents a study of a series of reinforced concrete beams each strengthened in flexure with an FRP strip attached with large diameter concrete screws. The concrete screws were arranged in a variety of patterns. The effect of fastener number and spacing, as well as the effect of fastener pattern on the behavior of the beam, was investigated through the use of two groups of specimens. The beams in each group were tested to failure to verify the behavior of the strengthening system. Measured behavior was then used to determine an analytical approach for prediction of load response behavior of mechanically fastened systems. It was found that the strengthening method investigated improved the flexural capacity of the specimens 12 to 39% with little or no loss in ductility.

The adhesive attachment of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) laminate to the external face of reinforced concrete structures is currently one of the most popular and effective methods for retrofitting and strengthening concrete structures. With this method, the additional strength of the attached reinforcement is transmitted into the concrete members through adhesion. However, the relatively weak adhesive interface fundamentally limits the efficacy of the method. Much effort has been made in the research community to improve the bond strength and develop bond models, but a satisfactory solution has yet to be found. Mechanical fastening is another more traditional technology that is used to bond one material to another. This paper introduces a new hybrid bonding technique that combines adhesive bonding and a new type of mechanical fastening. The new mechanical fastening technique does not rely on bearing to transmit the interfacial shear, but instead increases the interfacial bond by resisting the separation of the FRP laminate from the concrete substrate. Experimental tests demonstrated that the bond strength with this new hybrid bonding technology was 7.5 times that of conventional adhesive bonding. Furthermore, the new bonding technique is applicable to all types of commercially available FRP laminate (fabric, sheet, plate, and strip), and in principle is also applicable to materials other than FRP.

This paper investigates the flexure of prestressed concrete beams strengthened with prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets, focusing on ductility and cracking behavior. Structural ductility of a beam strengthened with CFRP sheets is critical, considering the abrupt and brittle failure of CFRP sheets themselves. Cracking may also affect serviceability of a strengthened beam, and may be especially important for durability. Midscale prestressed concrete beams $(L=3.6\mathrm{m})$ are constructed and a significant loss of prestress is simulated by reducing the reinforcement ratio to observe the strengthening effects. A nonlinear iterative analytical model, including tension of concrete, is developed and a nonlinear finite-element analysis is conducted to predict the flexural behavior of tested beams. The prestressed CFRP sheets result in less localized damage in the strengthened beam and the level of the prestress in the sheets significantly contributes to the ductility and cracking behavior of the strengthened beams. Consequently, the recommended level of prestress to the CFRP sheets is 20% of the ultimate design strain with adequate anchorages.

Debonding failure due to intermediate crack-induced (IC) fracture is one of the most dominant failure modes associated with the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bonding technique. To date, extensive efforts have been paid by many researchers worldwide to study the debonding phenomenon for effective applications of FRP composites and rational design of FRP-strengthened structures. Based on these efforts and various relevant field applications, different models and code provisions have been proposed to predict IC debonding failure. Out of all the existing code provisions and models, five typical ones are investigated in the current paper. A comprehensive comparison among these code provisions and models is carried out in order to evaluate their performance and accuracy. Test results of 200 flexural specimens with IC debonding failures collected from the existing literature are used in the current comparison. The effectiveness and accuracy of each model have been evaluated based on these experimental results. Finally, based on a statistical analysis, a simple and more effective model for predicting the load-carrying capacity of FRP-strengthened flexural members due to IC debonding failure is proposed.

With the purpose of evaluating the influence of both the percentage and inclination of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates on the effectiveness of the near-surface mounted technique for the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete T beams, an experimental program was carried out, using three percentages of laminates and, for each one, three inclinations: 90, 60, and $45°$ . The CFRP-strengthened beams had a steel stirrup reinforcement ratio $\left({\rho }_{\mathrm{sw}}\right)$ of 0.1%. The highest CFRP percentage was designed to provide a maximum load similar to the one of a reference beam reinforced with ${\rho }_{\mathrm{sw}}$ equal to 0.24%. Although these beams have had a similar maximum load, the beams with CFRP presented higher stiffness. Laminates at $60°$ was the most effective shear strengthening configuration, having provided a maximum increase in the load capacity of 33%. The contribution of the CFRP strengthening systems was limited by the concrete tensile strength. Below certain spacing between laminates, a group effect occurs due to the interference between consecutive concrete failure surfaces, leading to the detachment of “two lateral walls” from the underlying beam core.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the distribution of shear stresses along the interface between concrete and the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) in 29 plate-strengthened beams, where the primary test variables are: Clear cover, plate length, plate thickness (area), and compressive strength of concrete. FRP strain measurement was accomplished using either the photographic technique of digital image correlation or a series of electrical-resistance strain gages, both providing similar results. The distribution of shear stresses is found to be smoother than predicted by several analytical expressions available in the literature. Another substantial observation is the existence of a second region of peak stress, occurring near the center of the shear span in all of the beams with longer plate lengths, which the authors believe is associated with the singular application of shear corresponding to the point load, as well as the transition from elastic to plastic behavior occurring in the rebar. Because the overall nature of the stress distribution is sufficiently smooth, it is very reasonable to approximate it as a constant stress.

Performance of near-surface mounted (NSM) bars as additional reinforcement in strengthening of existing reinforced-concrete construction largely depends on the development capacity of the bar inside the groove. This is controlled primarily by the surface characteristics of the bar and its interaction with the surrounding groove filler and the cover concrete. In this paper, the bond strength of short NSM-bar anchorages is explored experimentally, using a modified eccentric pullout test specimen designed to alleviate some of the deficiencies associated with bond testing. A total of 45 tests were conducted to study the influence of the most important technological parameters of this upgrading method, namely the groove dimensions, the embedment length, and the surface pattern of the bars. NSM bars were $12\mathrm{mm}$ diameter rods: CFRP bars used had a sandblasted surface and winding helical lengthwise indentations. Steel bars were either standard deformed bars or smooth reinforcement. The variety of bar type considered was intended to highlight and to quantify through the tests the bond strength that may be mobilized by postinstalled reinforcement according to surface profile and stiffness. Test results are used to establish a limit-state bond-slip model for near-surface mounted bars, so as to enable implementation of this emerging technology in practical design.

Vacuum bagging and pressure bagging are established techniques used by the composites industry for fabricating components. This paper describes a study that explored the adaptation of these techniques for improving the FRP-concrete bond in the repair of partially submerged piles. Prototype vacuum bagging and pressure bagging systems were developed and bond improvement assessed from results of pullout tests on full size piles repaired under simulated tide in the laboratory. Pressure bagging gave better bond and was found to be simpler because it did not require an airtight seal. A field demonstration project was conducted in which pressure bagging was used in combination with two different GFRP systems to repair two corroding piles supporting the Friendship Trails Bridge across Tampa Bay. Inspection of the postcured wrap showed no evidence of air voids. The study demonstrates that techniques developed by the composites industry may be readily adapted to provide effective and inexpensive means for improving FRP-concrete bond.

Currently within the military there is a need for a universal light-weight bridge deck system capable of supporting extreme loads over a wide temperature range. This research presents the development, testing, and analysis of five different fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) webbed core deck panels. The performance of the FRP webbed decks are compared with an existing aluminum deck and with a baseline balsa core system, which has previously been tested as part of the development of the composite army bridge for the US Army. The study shows that for one-way bending, the FRP webbed core can exceed the shear strength of the baseline balsa core by a factor of 3.2 at a core’s density, which is 28% lighter than the balsa baseline. In addition, weight savings in excess of 30% are shown for using FRP decking in place of conventional aluminum decking. Based on test results and finite-element analysis, the failure modes of the different FRP webbed cores are discussed and design recommendations for FRP webbed core decks are provided.

Presented in this paper are the experimental results pertaining to the deflection response of E-glass/polyester pultruded structural elements when subjected to bending and temperature profiles comparable to those encountered in hot weather conditions. Experiments were conducted on tubular components subjected to an applied force resulting in a maximum stress corresponding to 4% of the composite material strength. In one case, five component tests were carried out in an environmental condition in which the air temperature was first gradually increased from $20°\pm 2°\mathrm{C}\text{to}72°\pm 2°\mathrm{C}$ , then decreased to $60°\pm 2°\mathrm{C}$ in $1\mathrm{h}$ . In another case, one component was tested under an air temperature that was first gradually increased from $20\text{to}60°\mathrm{C}$ , then kept at $60°\pm 2°\mathrm{C}$ for $215\mathrm{h}$ . Test results are compared with those obtained in another study at laboratory conditions $(22°\pm 2°\mathrm{C})$ . It is concluded that the increase in the deflection of glass-reinforced pultruded components in hot climates is substantial and must always be accounted for in the design of pultruded structures.