Abstract
In this paper, we analyse the surface crack growth in the Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforced steel plates subjected to tension by means of the finite element (FE) method. Following the experimental study, a three-dimensional FE model is developed to evaluate the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) of the surface crack, and the crack growth rate is calculated by using the Paris’ law. Then the FE model is validated by the experimental results. Afterwards, on account of the validated FE model, a parametric study is developed in order to guide the optimization design of FRP reinforcement accounting for different reinforcing schemes and multiple influential parameters. The results indicate that the single-side FRP reinforcement on the cracked surface is the most efficient method, owing to the generated out-of-plane bending moment. In addition, the optimum bond length and number of layers are indicated. Besides, surface crack growth is sensitive to the influential parameters including aspect ratio of the surface crack and crack dimension, while less sensitive to the Carbon-FRP (CFRP) tensile modulus, and the adhesive thickness. The analysis is of instructive value to facilitate the application of FRP reinforcement on the surface cracked metallic structure repairing domain.
Highlights
The surface crack is a common defect in the metallic structures, which can be initiated from surface damages, fretting corrosion, or corrosion pitting [1,2,3]
We analyse the surface crack growth in the Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforced steel plates subjected to tension by means of the finite element (FE) method
We investigate the surface crack growth in FRP reinforced steel plates subjected to tension by means of the FE method
Summary
The surface crack is a common defect in the metallic structures, which can be initiated from surface damages, fretting corrosion, or corrosion pitting [1,2,3]. The Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforcement has been applied as a well-recognised alternative of the traditional fatigue crack repairing methods such as welding, drilling stop holes, or bolting [9]. It has been highly valued for repairing cracked metallic structures, owing to its outstanding advantages in terms of efficiency, cost-effective, no secondary damage and ease of installation [10,11,12]. In the separate study by using an experimental investigation, the effectiveness and possible failure modes of using FRP to reinforce the surface cracked steel plates subjected to cyclic tension have been identified [18].
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