Flexural Performance of Beams Strengthened with FRP Laminates and Alternative U-Wrap Anchors
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Civil Engineering Journal (Iran)
Abstract
Premature debonding is identified as the main failure mode in reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with externally bonded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) laminates. This issue leads to the underutilization of FRP materials and needs to be addressed. Research has shown that end anchorage systems can effectively delay/mitigate delamination failures and enhance the performance of strengthened beams. FRP U-wraps are an effective means to prevent debonding failure; however, as open-form anchors, U-wraps cannot always guarantee complete resistance to debonding failures. This study proposes an alternative U-wrapping technique where the ends of the U-wraps are flared and inserted into the concrete substrate. The feasibility and effectiveness of this technique were studied by comparing it with conventional U-wraps. The experimental phase involved testing seven RC beams, each measuring 1.96×0.15×0.3 meters, under four-point bending. The results showed that the anchorage technique improved beam performance in terms of load-deflection behavior, failure modes, ductility, and FRP strain. Additionally, finite element simulations were conducted using Abaqus software to assess the effectiveness of the alternative U-wrap scheme. These models incorporated various nonlinear material constitutive laws, including cohesive zone modeling to replicate debonding failures at the CFRP-concrete interface. The numerical predictions were found to be in good agreement with the experimental test data.
First Page
2404
Last Page
2421
DOI
10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-08-01
Publication Date
8-1-2024
Recommended Citation
Varghese, Sneha M.; Kamath, Kiran; Selvam, Rajiv; and Salim, Surumi Rasia, "Flexural Performance of Beams Strengthened with FRP Laminates and Alternative U-Wrap Anchors" (2024). Open Access archive. 10169.
https://impressions.manipal.edu/open-access-archive/10169
