Effect of shear deformation on interfacial stress analysis in plated beams under arbitrary loading

Abstract Strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) and other materials beams by bonding a steel or fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has become a popular method due to its rapid, simple and other advantages. However, debonding along the FRP-RC beam interface can lead to premature failure of the structures. The interfacial stresses play a significant role in understanding this premature debonding failure of such repaired structures. In this paper, an improved theoretical analysis of the interfacial stresses is presented for a simply supported plated beam subjected to arbitrary loading. The solution is based on the deformation compatibility approach where both the shear and normal stresses are assumed to be invariant across the adhesive layer thickness. Indeed, the distribution of shear stress through the thickness of adherends is obtained by solving the equilibrium equations of stresses. The shear stresses, thus obtained, are shape parabolic through thickness of the adherend. The effect of shear deformation on the variation of interface stresses along the reinforcing plate is illustrated by a numerical example to demonstrate the advantages of the current solution. The solution is general in nature and may be applied to the analysis of others composite structures.