Experimental investigation of dynamic bond behaviors between LRS-FRP and concrete

Abstract

The dynamic bonding behaviour at the interface between a large-rupture-strain fibre-reinforced polymer (LRS-FRP) and concrete was investigated via drop weight impact tests of notched beam specimens. The main experimental variables included the concrete strength grade, number of LRS-FRP layers, and loading rate. With increasing loading rate, the location of the peeling damage at the interface between the LRS-FRP and concrete shifted from the interior of the concrete layer to the concrete–binder layer interface, binder layer, and even binder layer–FRP interface. The ultimate debonding load of the LRS-FRP strips increased with increasing strain rate, reaching more than 1.7 times the static value at a strain rate of approximately 4/s, while the effective bond length did not show a clear increasing or decreasing tendency with increasing strain rate. For the local bond-slip relationship, both the peak interfacial bond stress and interfacial fracture energy increased with increasing strain rate, and the influences of the concrete strength and number of FRP layers on the strain rate sensitivity were insignificant. Based on the experimental results, improved models to predict the ultimate debonding load and effective bond length at the LRS-FRP–concrete interface under both static and dynamic loading conditions were proposed. Furthermore, dynamic increase factor (DIF) formulas for the peak interfacial bond stress and interfacial fracture energy for bond-slip modelling of the interface between a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN)-FRP and concrete were established.