Towards a Unified Approach for the Analysis of Failure Modes in FRP-Retrofitted Concrete Beams

Abstract

The application of the external reinforcement makes rather complex the scenario of the possible failure modes in reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with FRP. The far more commonly observed failure modes are: (i) edge debonding of the FRP sheet, (ii) intermediate crack induced debonding and (iii) beam failure due to diagonal (shear) crack propagation. In the present study we revisited the competition between all the possible failure modes that can occur in this structural element. To this aim, different analytical models based on linear and non-linear fracture mechanics are developed and harmonized. As a result, useful failure maps are analytically determined, giving, for each failure mode, the critical load of activation as a function of the main parameters governing the problem, i.e. the mechanical properties of the constituent materials, the amount of reinforcement and its bonding length, as well as the size and slenderness of the structural element. The studies presented in this paper are mainly intended to establish guidelines for the future development of these concepts towards a unified mathematical approach. Indeed, once the validity of this unified approach is confirmed, also by comparison with further experimental data, it will be possible to remove some of the simplifying assumptions we used in this analysis to reach a more comprehensive analytical formulation.