Experimental investigation on mechanical behavior of unidirectional CFRP lamina

The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites has become increasingly popular in civil engineering, such as a popular method of concrete structures retrofitting and strengthening, as well as new construction of concrete structures. The ultimate failures of CFRP-confined concrete are usually characterized by the rupture of CFRP materials associated with the ultimate tensile strain or stress of the CFRP confining materials. But, the actual CFRP rupture strains are considerably lower than those values obtained from manufacturer. In this study, a total of 16 specimens are prepared in a wet-lay-up process and tested in a uniaxial tensile loading. Experimental results show that the stress-strain responses of all specimens are observed to deviate slightly from a perfectly linear relationship at the later stage of the loading, and the ultimate tensile strain values of all specimens could not reach the values reported by manufacturer.