Hope College Engineering Department
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Summer 2009
Project Summary

 

Project Title: Load-Induced Debonding of FRP Composites Applied to Reinforced Concrete
Student Name: Joel Blok
Student's Home Institution: Hope College
Research Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Brown
Source of Support: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF-REU Grant No. PHY-0452206, the Hope College Engineering Department, the Michigan Space Grant Consortium, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the University of Florida.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are widely used as a method of external reinforcement for damaged concrete structures. While composites have been demonstrated to significantly increase the strength of a damaged structural element, less is known about the long-term durability of FRP systems. This research investigated the effects of fatigue loading on FRP systems and utilized thermal imagining as a means for evaluating bond between the FRP composite and the concrete substrate. Twelve small-scale reinforced concrete (RC) beams were constructed and FRP was applied to the tension faces to simulate flexural strengthening. Cyclic loading was applied at various levels of the strengthened beam’s monotonic load capacity and periodic infrared thermography inspections were performed. The condition of the bond was quantified through statistical analysis of the resulting phase images obtained at each load reversal increment. The relationship between bond condition and overall system performance was then investigated using a combination of deflection and strain data. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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