Numerical Modeling of Shear Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Different Systems

This research aims at creating finite-element models for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) shear strengthened concrete beams. It is inspired by the fact that the determination of the structural behavior of shear strengthened beams requires advanced numerical methods of which results are substantiated by credible experimental findings. The models are developed here to assess the shear and interfacial types of behavior of beams strengthened using one of three different schemes, namely, externally bonded (EB), mechanically fastened (MF), and hybrid EB/MF FRP schemes. The interfacial behavior between the EB, MF, and hybrid EB/MF FRP and the concrete is accounted for using interface elements for both vertical and inclined FRP strips. A user-defined subroutine for the microplane constitutive law for the concrete material is incorporated in the model. Results are presented in terms of the ultimate load-carrying capacities, load-deflection relationships, and interfacial stress/slip distributions. Numerical results are validated against available experimental data and show reasonable agreement. Models for hypothetical cases of MF FRP strengthened beams are created to enrich the discussion on the interfacial bearing stress distributions.