Interfacial stresses in externally FRP-plated concrete beams

In this paper, an analytical method is developed to predict the distributions of interfacial stress in concrete beams strengthened by composite plates. Accurate predictions of such stresses are prerequisite for designing against debonding failures of the FRP plate from the RC beam. In the present analysis, a simple theoretical model to estimate shear and peel-off stresses is proposed, including the variation in FRP plate fibre orientation. Numerical results from the present analysis are presented both to demonstrate the advantages of the present solution over existing ones and to illustrate the main characteristics of interfacial stress distributions in beams.