Abstract
As the reinforced concrete infrastructure continues to decline, the engineering community is turning to rehabilitative methods as cost effective alternatives to replacement. One such method, that has gained popularity over the last few decades, is the use of wet-layup fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) adhered to the concrete surface. The application of FRP consists of a fibrous material (carbon, glass, Kevlar), which when impregnated by an epoxy, may then be bonded to the surface of a reinforced concrete structure. The experimental fracture mechanics approach known as the Single Contoured-Cantilever Beam (SCCB) was herein utilized to investigate the fatigue behavior of the bonded interface between the externally reinforcing CFRP composite member and the underlying concrete under Mode I failure. The research outcome made it possible to establish a modified Paris law relationship for the CFRP-concrete interface bond as a predictive means of ascertaining the expected mechanical life cycle of such externally reinforced structures.
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