Numerical investigation of the parameters influencing the behaviour of FRP shear-strengthened beams

A finite element model developed to identify the parameters that have the most influence on the behaviour of FRP shear-strengthened beams is presented. The parameters investigated are the amount of steel stirrups, the concrete compressive strength, the stiffness of the FRP, the amount of FRP, and the shear span-to-effective depth ratio. The variation of the axial strain in the FRP is the main focus. The parameters responsible for characterising the initiation and propagation of debonding are also investigated. These are the interfacial stiffness, the interfacial bond strength and the interfacial fracture energy. The significance of the present findings with respect to each parameter is discussed.