Analytical Modeling of Composite-to-Masonry Prisms Bond

Abstract

The composite-to-substrate interfacial stresses transfer mechanism is one of the critical issues in externally-bonded structural strengthening by means of composite fabrics. In this work, an analytical approach for modeling the debonding process of a composite on a non-homogeneous substrate is developed and applied to simulate the loss of bond of FRP on brick masonry. The analytical formulation is based on the experimental outcomes of bond shear tests, which are part of a Round Robin activity involving several laboratories. The experimental work is the follow up of a previous one [1], and comprises 12 single-lap shear tests of four kinds of unidirectional reinforcement, i.e., glass, carbon, basalt and steel, applied with epoxy resin to masonry prisms composed by five clay bricks and four mortar joints. The analytical simulations of the experimental tests rely upon a bi-linear non-homogeneous bond-slip law that was calibrated using the experimental population. Eventually, the analytical results are compared to experimental ones both, in terms of global (load to displacement curve) and local behavior (strain profile on the reinforcement for increasing load values).