Assessment of Existing Bond Models for Externally Bonded SRP Composites

Abstract

This manuscript assessed the applicability of the existing ultimate bond formulas originally developed for externally bonded carbon fiber-based composites in the analysis of steel-reinforced polymers (SRPs). In the first part, the methods of predicting the bond capacity are reviewed, the differences are indicated, and the factors determining the bond are discussed; then, using the bond test results of over 400 samples available in the literature, the bond prediction methods are assessed by graphical comparison. The evaluation mainly concerned concrete elements and epoxy adhesives; however, to a lesser extent, a similar analysis was performed for the masonry substrate and grout matrices. The results showed the relatively good applicability of the majority of bond prediction models for the analysis of SRP composites. In most cases, the ultimate bond force was slightly underestimated, which was beneficial in the design of this type of strengthening. Larger discrepancies concerned weaker grout matrices.