EFFECTIVENESS OF FRP PLATE STRENGTHENING ON CURVED SOFFITS

摘要

The use of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) is becoming a widely accepted solution for the strengthening of reinforced concrete structures. This paper highlights the sensitivity of the strengthening scheme to the presence of concave curvature on the surface of the concrete. The effectiveness of the strengthening scheme is highly dependent on the bond between the composite and the existing structure. The presence of curvature induces tensile stress at the adhesive/concrete interface, which can lead to premature failure by delamination of the plate. Current design guidelines recognise this and offer limitations on the allowable curvature prior to application of the composite. The findings of this paper suggest that further work is needed to verify the suitability of these limits.