Analysis of Test Specimens for Cohesive Near-Bond Failure of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer-Plated Concrete

The failure mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) members change due to the application of externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement. Although an extensive literature is available describing the failure mechanisms of poststrengthened flexural systems, brittle failure modes caused by bond failure, such as midspan debonding and end peeling, need to be further investigated in order to identify and quantify the fracture processes that result in bond failure. Simplified experimental tests have been designed to idealize the bond between the laminate and the RC member. However, it is unclear how the simplified test results can be related to the actual flexural debonding failures. This paper investigates and compares two bond failure tests: a simplified test (or simple shear test) and a recently proposed shear/normal test. After discussing the characteristics of both tests and how they relate to the midspan debonding and end peeling failures, the shear/normal test is studied in more detail using a nonlinear finite-element fracture mechanics program. The program accounts for cohesive localized and distributed concrete crack damage and is capable of describing the geometrical discontinuities that induce different brittle failure mechanisms. The numerical results compare well with available experimental data and help explain the crack formation and propagation pattern up to specimen failure. Parametric studies are presented to elucidate the influence of different material parameters on the failure mechanisms.