Fracture Resistance of a Cracked Concrete Beam Post-strengthened with FRP Sheets

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites have been increasingly used in rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete structures. Significant increases in stiffness and strength have been achieved by applying this technique. However, there is concern about the ductility or toughness performance of FRP/concrete hybrid structures, which is critical in the application of this technology. This paper presents a new theoretical method to predict the fracture resistance behaviour of FRP post-strengthened concrete flexural beams. No slip between the FRP and plain concrete matrix is assumed and Mode I fracture propagation is considered. The model is valid for a wide range of span-to-depth ratios and any crack length. The influence of the bridging stresses provided by the fracture process zone (FPZ) at the tip of a fictitious fracture is examined. The effect of various material and geometric parameters on the resistance curve and toughness of the hybrid structure is discussed, based on the numerical results from the developed theoretical formulae. The results provide a useful insight into the strengthening/toughening and the design of FRP sheet/concrete beam structures.