Over the past three decades the use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials for structural strengthening applications has become an accepted and widely used method. A primary concern of FRP structural strengthening systems is that the FRP often debonds from the concrete well before the load capacity of the FRP material is reached. In addition, debonding failures are often brittle and occur with little warning. Past research concluded that fastening FRP sheets with FRP anchors is an effective method for delaying or preventing debonding failures. However, there is a clear lack of research pertaining to fastening FRP sheets with FRP anchors, and a corresponding lack of design guidance. The primary objective of this research program was to better understand the behavior of bonded FRP sheets that are secured with FRP anchors to aid in future development of design recommendations of this anchorage system.
This thesis deals with carbon fiber unidirectional sheets applied using the wet layup system. Design parameters that were investigated include: manufacturer of the FRP materials, unanchored and anchored sheets, number of anchor rows and spacing between rows, number of sheet plies (single or double), and length of bonded sheet behind the anchors. A total of sixteen specimens were tested. Experimental results show that FRP anchorage systems are very effective in increasing load capacity by delaying debonding. Finite element models were also developed of anchored and unanchored bonded FRP sheets.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:theses-1790 |
| Date | 01 January 2011 |
| Creators | Mcguirk, Geoffrey N |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 |
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