Shear deformation debonding of adhesively bonded plates

Abstract

Adhesive bonding of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) and steel plates to the surfaces of reinforced concrete structures is an efficient form of retrofitting, as the plated structure is mechanically efficient, the plate is unobtrusive, and—for FRP plates—the plate is durable and the application is inexpensive owing to the lightness and flexibility of the pultruded or wet lay-up plate. In this paper it is shown: from a comparison of the main FRP plating guidelines, that there is now a general agreement on the major plate debonding mechanisms; that current rules in national standards for the shear capacity of prestressed beams can be used to quantify a major plate debonding mechanism due to beam shear deformations, that is critical diagonal crack (CDC) debonding; and that these developments allow a simple design approach to be used for FRP and steel plated beams and slabs with longitudinal plates.