Abstract
In recent years, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) has been widely used to improve the fatigue behavior of steel structures, while most relevant studies were focused on steel components with mode I cracks. This study aims to investigate the fatigue behavior of steel plates with mixed-mode I/II edge cracks patched with CFRP sheets or plates. A total of eleven specimens were fabricated and tested. A digital image correlation (DIC) system was employed as a non-contact measurement to monitor the fatigue crack propagation. Post-processed displacement fields were used to calculate stress intensity factors (SIFs) near the crack tips. Experimental results showed that double-sided CFRP repairing could significantly improve the fatigue life of edge-cracked specimens, especially those with mode I crack rather than mixed-mode I/II crack. Corresponding finite element (FE) analyses were conducted, and good consistency was achieved with test results of crack growth trajectories and fatigue lives. Further FE analysis considered three parameters: load application angle, CFRP layer number, and initial damage level.
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