Investigation of Bond in Concrete Structures Strengthened

with Near Surface Mounted Carbon Fiber Reinforced

Polymer Strips
Tarek Hassan1 and Sami Rizkalla, F.ASCE2

Abstract: Fiber reinforced polymer 共FRP兲 materials are currently produced in different configurations and are widely used for the
strengthening and retrofitting of concrete structures and bridges. Recently, considerable research has been directed to characterize the use
of FRP bars and strips as near surface mounted reinforcement, primarily for strengthening applications. Nevertheless, in-depth under-
standing of the bond mechanism is still a challenging issue. This paper presents both experimental and analytical investigations under-
taken to evaluate bond characteristics of near surface mounted carbon FRP 共CFRP兲 strips. A total of nine concrete beams, strengthened
with near surface mounted CFRP strips were constructed and tested under monotonic static loading. Different embedment lengths were
used to evaluate the development length needed for effective use of near surface mounted CFRP strips. A closed-form analytical solution
is proposed to predict the interfacial shear stresses. The model is validated by comparing the predicted values with test results as well as
nonlinear finite element modeling. A quantitative criterion governing the debonding failure of near surface mounted CFRP strips is
established. The influence of various parameters including internal steel reinforcement ratio, concrete compressive strength, and groove
width is discussed.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲1090-0268共2003兲7:3共248兲
CE Database subject headings: Bonding; Concrete structures; Beams; Fiber reinforced polymers; Retrofitting.

Introduction damage and would require protective cover, which could interfere
with the presence of floor finishes. Near surface mounted steel
In recent years, fiber reinforced polymer 共FRP兲 composites have bars have been used in Europe since 1947. Asplund 共1949兲 carried
emerged as a potential solution to the problems associated with out tests on concrete beams reinforced with steel bars and others
infrastructures. Resistance to electrochemical corrosion, high reinforced with steel bars grouted into diamond-sawed grooves.
strength-to-weight ratio, and versatility of fabrication have made Test results showed identical behavior for both sets of specimens.
FRP materials attractive to civil engineers. Since 1982, externally Blaschko and Zilch 共1999兲 carried out bond tests on carbon
bonded FRP sheets/strips have been successfully applied to FRP 共CFRP兲 strips inserted inside grooves. Bond tests were con-
strengthen concrete structures 共Meier 1992兲. Although externally ducted on double shear specimens. Test results showed that
bonded FRP reinforcement performed extremely well in practice, strengthening using near surface mounted CFRP strips has a
premature debonding failure was observed and identified by many greater anchoring capacity compared to externally bonded CFRP
researchers 共Saadatmanesh and Ehsani 1989; Sharif et al. 1994; strips. Gentile and Rizkalla 共1999兲 conducted an extensive experi-
Arduini et al. 1997兲. Several details were proposed to avoid this mental program to investigate the feasibility of using near surface
type of failure, which is unacceptable from the point of view of mounted 共GFRP兲 bars for flexural strengthening of timber bridge
structural safety 共Swamy and Mukhopadhyaya 1999兲. stringers. Based on test results, the Tourond Creek bridge con-
Use of near surface mounted FRP rods and strips can preclude structed 39 years ago in Manitoba, Canada, was strengthened
delamination-type failures, frequently observed by using exter- using GFRP bars. The bars were inserted longitudinally in spe-
nally bonded reinforcement. Near surface mounting technique be- cially constructed grooves in the stringers and adhered to the
comes particularly attractive for flexural strengthening in the wood beams with an epoxy resin. Using this technology, the
negative moment regions of slabs and decks, where external re- bridge is capable now to carry the current AASHTO design loads
inforcement would be subjected to mechanical and environmental for less than 15% of the cost estimated to replace the bridge.
Carolin et al. 共2001兲 tested a series of concrete beams
1
Post Doctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil Engineering, North Carolina strengthened with near surface mounted CFRP strips. Test results
State Univ., Campus Box 7533, Raleigh, NC 27695-7533. demonstrated the effectiveness of the near surface mounting tech-
2
Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, North Carolina nique compared to the externally bonded technique. Carolin et al.
State Univ., Campus Box 7533, Raleigh, NC 27695-7533. E-mail: recommended replacing the epoxy, used in bonding the strips to
[email protected] the surrounding concrete, with cement mortar to improve the
Note. Discussion open until January 1, 2004. Separate discussions
work environment on site.
must be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by
one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing Nordin et al. 共2001兲 conducted a pilot study on concrete beams
Editor. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and pos- strengthened with prestressed near surface mounted CFRP strips.
sible publication on January 8, 2002; approved on May 3, 2002. This Test results showed a substantial increase in cracking and failure
paper is part of the Journal of Composites for Construction, Vol. 7, No. loads for the strengthened specimens. Prestressing the strips did
3, August 1, 2003. ©ASCE, ISSN 1090-0268/2003/3-248 –257/$18.00. not influence the mode of failure. Compared to unstrengthened

248 / JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES FOR CONSTRUCTION © ASCE / AUGUST 2003

specimens, the prestressed beams had considerably smaller de-
flections at failure.
De Lorenzis and Nanni 共2001兲 investigated the structural per-
formance of simply supported reinforced concrete beams
strengthened with near surface mounted GFRP and CFRP rods.
Both flexural and shear strengthening were examined. Test results
showed that the use of near surface mounted FRP rods is an
effective technique to enhance flexural and shear capacity of re-
inforced concrete beams. The beams strengthened in bending
showed an increase in capacity ranging from 26 to 44% over the
control beam. For the beams strengthened in shear, an increase in
capacity as high as 106% was achieved.
Hassan and Rizkalla 共2002兲 investigated the feasibility of
using different strengthening techniques as well as different types
of FRP for strengthening concrete structures. Large-scale models
of a prestressed concrete bridge were tested to failure. Test results
showed that the efficiency of near surface mounted CFRP strips
was three times that of the externally bonded strips.
Hassan 共2002兲 proposed a general methodology to evaluate the
development length of near surface mounted FRP bars of different
configurations and types of fibers. The influence of the groove Fig. 1. Reinforcement details of test specimens
dimensions, groove spacing, and the limited adhesive cover was
investigated. Hassan and Rizkalla concluded that the tensile
stresses at the concrete-adhesive interface as well as at the FRP- Each beam was strengthened using one CFRP strip inserted into a
adhesive interface are highly dependent on the groove dimensions groove cut at the bottom surface of the beam. The strips, as pro-
and controls the mode of failure of near surface mounted FRP vided by the manufacturer have a nominal width of 50 mm and a
bars. Design charts were provided to establish code specifications total thickness of 1.2 mm. In order to insert the strip within a
for the use of near surface mounted FRP reinforcement. typical concrete cover used for concrete members, the strips were
cut into two halves each, 25 mm wide. Using a concrete saw,
Experimental Program approximately 5 mm wide and 25 mm deep grooves were cut into
the bottom surface of the beams. The grooves were injected with
To evaluate the bond characteristics and load transfer mechanism
epoxy adhesive to provide the necessary bond with the surround-
between near surface mounted CFRP strips and concrete, a total
ing concrete. The strips were carefully placed into the grooves to
of nine simply supported T-beams with a span of 2.5 m and a
ensure that they were completely covered with the epoxy. Instal-
depth of 300 mm were tested. Shear reinforcement consisted of
lation procedures of the strips are illustrated in Fig. 2. Eight dif-
double-legged 10 M steel stirrups, uniformly spaced at 100 mm.
ferent embedment lengths of 150, 250, 500, 750, 850, 950, 1,050,
The top flange was reinforced with welded wire fabric 51⫻51
and 1,200 mm were investigated to evaluate the minimum embed-
MW5.6⫻MW5.6. The top reinforcement consisted of two 10 M
ment length required to develop the ultimate force of the strip.
steel bars. The bottom reinforcement consisted of two 10 M steel
The CFRP strips are produced by S&P Clever Reinforcement
bars running along the full length of the beam and two 15 M steel
Company, Switzerland. The strips have a modulus of elasticity of
bars placed at 100 mm from the midspan section of the beam on
150 GPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 2,000 MPa as re-
both sides as shown in Fig. 1. This arrangement of the bottom
ported by the manufacturer. En-Force CFL epoxy adhesive was
reinforcement was selected to identify the location of the flexural
used for bonding the strips to the concrete. The epoxy is produced
failure of the strengthened specimens. The T-section configuration
by Structural Composites, Inc., Waller, Tex. The average com-
was selected to avoid compression failure due to crushing of the
pressive strength of concrete after 28 days was 48 MPa.
concrete. Selection of the specimens’ dimensions was finalized
after testing six pilot specimens to ensure that rupture of near
surface mounted CFRP strips can be achieved if they are bonded Test Setup and Instrumentation
along the full length of the beam.
The beams were tested under a concentrated load applied at mid-
With the maximum moment occurring at the midspan section
span. A closed-loop MTS, 1,000 kN testing machine was used to
of the beam, failure could be due to: 共1兲 debonding of the CFRP
apply the load using stroke control mode. The rate of loading was
strips or 共2兲 rupture of the CFRP strips. Specimens were ad-
1.0 mm/min up to yielding of the internal steel reinforcement,
equately designed to avoid concrete crushing and premature fail-
beyond which the rate was increased to 3.0 mm/min up to failure.
ure due to shear. In case of bond failure, the bond length of the
The instrumentation used to monitor the behavior of the beams
CFRP reinforcement was increased in the subsequent specimens.
during testing is shown in Fig. 3.
In case of flexural failure, the bond length was decreased in the
following specimens. This scheme was applied until an accurate
development length of near surface mounted CFRP strips was
Test Results and Discussion
achieved.
A total of nine concrete beams were tested as given in Table 1.
Strengthening Procedures
The sequence of testing started first by testing specimens B1, B2,
One beam was tested as a control specimen while the other eight B3, and B4 with embedment lengths of 150, 250, 500, and 750
beams were strengthened with near surface mounted CFRP strips. mm, respectively. Based on the results of these tests, Specimens

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 Fig. 3. Instrumentation used for test specimens

sions used in this program is 850 mm. Experimental results for

the test specimens are summarized in Table 1.
Fig. 6 shows the tensile strain in the CFRP strip at ultimate for
different embedment lengths used in this study. The measured
strain values suggest the following three mechanisms as the em-
bedment length increases: 共1兲 For small embedment lengths 共less

Fig. 2. Strengthening procedures

B5 to B8 with embedment lengths ranged from 850 to 1,200 mm

were tested. The load-deflection behavior of the control Specimen
B0 and the eight strengthened specimens is shown in Fig. 4. The
control Specimen B0 failed due to crushing of concrete at a load
level of 52 kN. The figure clearly indicates that using embedment
lengths up to 250 mm provides insignificant improvement in
strength. This is attributed to the early debonding of the CFRP
strips.
A considerable enhancement in strength was observed for em-
bedment lengths greater than 250 mm. Specimens B3 and B4 with
embedment lengths of 500 and 750 mm, respectively, failed also
due to debonding of the CFRP strips. Debonding was observed at
both ends of the strips as well as at midspan. This is attributed to
shear stress concentration at the cutoff point as well as at the
vicinity of flexural cracks. However, final debonding of the CFRP
strips was always controlled by the high shear stress at the strips’
cutoff points. The failure loads for both beams were 60 and 74
kN, respectively. This indicates that full composite action has not
yet been developed and therefore, the measured ultimate load was
increasing with the increase of the embedment length. Beams B5,
B6, B7, and B8 were strengthened using embedment lengths
ranged from 850 to 1,200 mm. The failure of these beams was
due to rupture of the CFRP strips as shown in Fig. 5. The maxi-
mum measured tensile strain in the CFRP strips used for Speci-
mens B5, B6, B7, and B8 was approximately 1.3%. The measured
failure loads for the four beams were almost identical. These re-
sults suggest that the minimum embedment length needed to rup-
Fig. 4. Load-deflection behavior of test specimens
ture the near surface mounted CFRP strips, with the given dimen-

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Table 1. Test Results

Fig. 6. Maximum tensile strain in CFRP strips at failure versus bond

length

the ultimate load carrying capacity of the beams; and 共3兲 ‘‘full
composite mechanism,’’ where the CFRP behaved in a full com-
posite action with beam. For these relatively long embedment
lengths, increasing the embedment length will not provide extra
strength to the retrofitted beam 共Beams B5, B6, B7, and B8兲.

than 250 mm, used for Beams B1 and B2兲 debonding of the
adhesive from the surrounding concrete occurred before yielding Analytical Model
of the internal steel reinforcement without significant develop-
The proposed model is based on the combined shear-bending
ment of the bond. For these small embedment lengths, the failure
model introduced by Malek et al. 共1998兲 for externally bonded
is due to immediate debonding, ‘‘destressed mechanism.’’ The
FRP plates. The model is modified to account for the double
CFRP strips were completely debonded at a very early stage and
bonded area of near surface mounted strips. The model accounts
the beams’ behavior was controlled by the original steel reinforce-
also for the continuous reduction in flexural stiffness due to crack-
ment as before the application of the strengthening scheme. Lin-
ing of the concrete. The derivation of the model is based on the
ear behavior was observed up to cracking, followed by a nonlin-
assumption that shear and bending stresses can be investigated
ear behavior until yielding of the steel reinforcement took place.
separately. Debonding of near surface mounted strips is assumed
After yielding of the steel reinforcement, the increase in the ap-
to occur as a result of high shear stress concentration at cutoff
plied load was negligible until crushing of the concrete occurred.
point. The proposed model accounts only for cases where de-
No significant improvement in strength or stiffness was achieved;
bonding failure is initiated from the strip cutoff points. Other
共2兲 ‘‘bond development mechanism,’’ where the strains at failure
cases where debonding failure is initiated as a result of flexural
are increasing linearly with the increase of the embedment length
cracks or at crack intersections are not considered in the proposed
共Beams B3 and B4兲. For this range of embedment lengths, in-
approach. Considering the equilibrium of an infinitesimal portion
creasing the bond length results in a considerable enhancement in
of the strengthened concrete beam, shown in Fig. 7, the shear

Fig. 5. Rupture of near surface mounted CFRP strips Fig. 7. Infinitesimal portion of test specimen

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stress ␶ along a length of dx can be derived in terms of the incre- and y eff⫽distance from the CFRP strip to the neutral axis of the
mental normal stress in the CFRP strip d␴ f and the thickness of section. The above expression is conditioned by the loading con-
the CFRP strip t f as follows: figuration and can be easily formulated for other load cases as
given in the Appendix. To account for the continuous reduction in
1 d␴ f
␶⫽ t (1) flexural stiffness due to cracking of concrete, I eff can be expressed
2 dx f as:

冉 冊 冉 冉 冊冊
Assuming linear shear stress-strain relationship for the adhesive
M cr 3 M cr 3

␶⫽G a ␥ (2) I eff⫽ I g (transformed) ⫹ 1⫺ I cr 共transformed)

Ma Ma
where G a and ␥⫽shear modulus and shear strain of the adhesive,
关 Branson and Trost 1982兴 (12)
respectively.
Assuming linear strain-displacement relationships for the ad- where M cr and M a ⫽cracking and applied moments on a concrete
hesive section, respectively; and I g and I cr⫽gross and cracked moment
of inertia of the transformed strengthened section, respectively.
du dw
␥⫽ ⫹ (3) The corresponding neutral axis depth can be expressed as

冉 冊 冉 冉 冊冊
dz dx
2.5 2.5
M cr M cr
where u and w⫽longitudinal and transverse displacements of the c eff⫽ c g ⫹ 1⫺ c cr
adhesive, respectively. Using Eq. 共1兲, and differentiating with re- Ma Ma
spect to x results in 关 Branson and Trost 1982兴 (13)
d 2␴ f
dx 2
⫽
2G a d 2 u
⫹ 冉
d 2w
t f dx dz dx 2 冊 (4)
where c g and c cr⫽neutral axis depth for gross and cracked trans-
formed strengthened sections, respectively.

d 2 u/dxdz can be expressed as y eff⫽d f ⫺c eff (14)

d 2u
⫽
d du
dx dz dz dx 冉 冊
d 1
⫽ 共 ␧ f ⫺␧ c 兲 ⫽ 共 ␧ f ⫺␧ c 兲 ⫽
dz ta
1 ␴ f ␴c
⫺
ta E f Ec 冉 冊 where d f ⫽depth of near surface mounted strips from compression
fiber.
Rewriting Eq. 共8兲
(5)
where ␧ f and ␧ c ⫽interfacial strain of the CFRP strip and con-
crete, respectively; E f and E c ⫽modulus of elasticity of the CFRP
strip and concrete, respectively; t a ⫽thickness of the adhesive
d 2␴ f
dx 2
⫺␻ 2 ␴ f ⫽⫺␻ 2 n 冉 Pl o y eff Py eff
2I eff
⫹
2I eff
x 冊 (15)

layer; and ␴ f and ␴ c ⫽normal stress in the CFRP strip and con- The general solution for Eq. 共15兲 can be expressed as
crete, respectively.
From symmetry n Py eff n Pl o y eff
␴ f ⫽C 1 e ␻x ⫹C 2 e ⫺␻x ⫹ x⫹ (16)
2I eff 2 I eff
d 2w
⫽0 (6) where C 1 and C 2 ⫽constants. The solution represents a character-
dx 2 istic solution for ␴ f as
The governing differential equation for the tensile stress in near ␴ f characteristic⫽C 1 e ␻x ⫹C 2 e ⫺␻x (17)
surface mounted CFRP strips can be expressed as
and a particular solution for ␴ f as
d 2␴ f 2G a 2G a
⫺ ␴ f ⫽⫺ ␴ (7) n Py eff n Pl o y eff
dx 2 t at f E f t at f E c c
␴ f particular⫽ x⫹ (18)
2I eff 2I eff
Rewriting Eq. 共7兲
The shear stress can be expressed as
d 2␴ f
dx 2
⫺␻ ␴ f ⫽⫺␻ n ␴ c
2 2
(8)
␶⫽
tf
冋
2 1
C ␻ e ␻x ⫺C 2 ␻ e ⫺␻x ⫹
n Py eff
2I eff 册 (19)
where
Constants C 1 and C 2 can evaluated using the following boundary
2G a conditions:
␻ 2⫽ (9)
t at f E f
␴ f ⫽0 at x⫽0 (20)
Ef
n⫽ (10) ␶⫽0 at x⫽L (21)
Ec
where L⫽embedment length of the CFRP strip. Using the above
For simply supported beams subjected to a concentrated load at boundary conditions, the following expressions for C 1 and C 2 are
midspan, the normal stress in concrete ␴ c can be evaluated in derived:
terms of the effective moment of inertia, I eff as follows:
⫺n Py eff
Pl o y eff P y eff C 1⫽ 关 1⫹␻l o e ⫺␻L 兴 (22)
␴ c⫽ ⫹ x (11) 4 ␻I eff cosh共 ␻L 兲
2I eff 2I eff
where P⫽applied concentrated load; l o ⫽unbonded length of the n Pl o y eff
C 2 ⫽⫺C 1 ⫺ (23)
CFRP strip; x⫽longitudinal coordinate starting from cutoff point; 2I eff

252 / JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES FOR CONSTRUCTION © ASCE / AUGUST 2003

 Fig. 8. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion
Fig. 9. Mesh dimensions used in finite element analysis

Using practical values for ␻ and L, cosh共␻L兲 is always a very

large number compared to other terms. Therefore, the constant C 1 analysis at the cutoff point. The finite element modeling described
can be ignored. Rewriting Eq. 共19兲, the shear stress can be ex- in this paper was conducted using the ANACAP program 共Version
pressed as 2.1兲. ANACAP is known for its advanced nonlinear capabilities of

冋 册
the concrete material model 共James 1997兲. The ANACAP software
t f n Pl o y eff ⫺␻x n Py eff employs the classical incremental theory of plasticity that relates
␶⫽ ␻e ⫹ (24)
2 2I eff 2I eff the increment of plastic strain to the state of stresses and stress
Debonding will occur when the shear stress reaches a maximum increment. Formulation of the yield surfaces, loading, and failure
value, which depends on the concrete properties. surfaces take into account the effect of confinement on the con-
crete behavior. The concrete material is modeled by the smeared
cracking methodology in which progressive cracking is assumed
Failure Criterion to be distributed over an entire element 共Rashid 1968兲. Verifica-
tion of the ANACAP program using independent experimental
Many research studies investigated the bond characteristics of results can be found elsewhere 共Hassan et al. 2000兲.
FRP strips externally bonded to concrete specimens 共Sharif et al.
1994; Quantrill et al. 1996; Arduini et al. 1997兲. Test results
showed that the maximum sustainable interface shear stress Modeling of Test Specimens
ranged between 3.5 to 6 MPa, with failure occurring in the con-
crete in all cases. Consequently, premature debonding of near Two test specimens, B3 and B4, were selected from the experi-
surface mounted CFRP strips is governed by the shear strength of mental program to be modeled using finite element analysis. Fail-
the concrete. Other components of the system such as the epoxy ure of both beams was due to debonding of the near surface
adhesive and the CFRP strips have superior strength and adhesion mounted CFRP strips at cutoff points. Taking advantage of the
properties compared to concrete. Knowing the compressive and symmetry of the specimens, only a quarter of the beams was
tensile strength of concrete, the Mohr-Coulomb line, which is modeled. The concrete, epoxy, and the CFRP strip were modeled
tangential to both Mohr’s circles for pure tension and pure com- using 20-node isoparametric brick elements with a 2⫻2⫻2 re-
pression, can be represented as shown in Fig. 8. All circles tan- duced Gauss integration scheme. Each node has three transla-
gential to the Mohr-Coulomb line represent a critical stress com- tional degrees of freedom. The load was applied as a uniform
bination. The maximum critical shear stress for the pure shear pressure acting on an area of 100⫻150 mm. Several analytical
circle is given by simulations were carried out by varying the size of the elements
around the cutoff point. The influence of the mesh size on the
f ⬘c f ct predicted shear stresses at cutoff point was noticeable. Mesh di-
␶ max⫽ (25) mensions used for Test Specimens B3 and B4 with embedment
f ⬘c ⫹ f ct
lengths of 500 and 750 mm, respectively, are shown in Fig. 9.
where f ⬘c ⫽compressive strength of concrete after 28 days; and Further refinement of the mesh around cutoff points increased the
f ct⫽tensile strength of concrete. Equating the shear strength pro- predicted shear stress by less than 0.5%.
posed in Eq. 共25兲 to the shear stress given in Eq. 共24兲, debonding
loads for near surface mounted CFRP strips can be determined for
Comparison with Finite Element Analysis
this specific loading case and embedment length. Other loading
cases are given in the Appendix. The interfacial shear stress distributions for Specimens B3 and B4
are calculated at two different load levels and compared to those
predicted using finite element analysis. The first selected load
Verification of Analytical Model level was less than the cracking load of the test specimens to
validate the analytical model at the elastic stage. The second se-
The analytical model is verified by comparing the calculated lected load level matched the cracking load at cutoff points for
shear stress from Eq. 共24兲 to that obtained from finite element Specimens B3 and B4. The shear modulus of the epoxy adhesive

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 Fig. 12. Maximum shear stress at cutoff point versus applied load
Fig. 10. Comparison of proposed model to finite element method
before cracking of concrete at cutoff point

was set to 1,230 MPa as reported by the manufacturer. Based on loads for different embedment lengths are also shown in Fig. 12.
a groove width of 5 mm, the thickness of the epoxy adhesive used In general, the predicted loads at the maximum shear stress for
in the analysis was set to 1.9 mm. The results of the finite element each length are in a good agreement with the measured debonding
analysis together with the proposed analytical model are shown in loads. The predicted debonding loads for Specimens B1, B2, B3,
Fig. 10 at the elastic stage. The results, at the onset of cracking and B4 underestimated the measured values by less than 10%.
are shown in Fig. 11. Interfacial shear stress distribution, pre- The proposed model showed good agreement to beams of embed-
dicted using the analytical model is in a good agreement with the ment lengths either at the distressed stage or at the bond devel-
results of the finite element analysis before cracking of the con- opment stage. The midspan section of the test specimen was ana-
crete. At the onset of cracking of the concrete at cutoff points, the lyzed using a strain compatibility approach to predict the flexural
calculated shear stress distribution is deviated from the finite el- behavior up to failure. The stress-strain relationship of the con-
ement results. This behavior is attributed to possible redistribution crete was modeled using a parabolic relationship in compression.
of shear stresses around the cracks. Such a phenomenon is ac- The internal compression force in the concrete was evaluated
counted for in the finite element analysis and not considered in using the stress-block parameters introduced by Collins and
the proposed model. However, the maximum shear stress calcu- Mitchell 共1991兲. The stress-strain behavior of the CFRP reinforce-
lated using the analytical model is in good agreement with the ment was assumed to be linearly elastic up to failure. The average
finite element results. Using the proposed model for the effective tensile stresses in the concrete between the cracks were consid-
transformed moment of inertia showed good agreement in pre- ered in the analysis using an average tensile stress-strain relation-
dicting the maximum interfacial shear stresses at cutoff points. ship for the concrete introduced by Collins and Mitchell 共1991兲.
These tensile stresses are concentrated in a zone of concrete
around the reinforcement called the ‘‘effective embedment zone’’
Comparison with Experimental Results defined by the CEB-FIP 共1978兲. The tensile stresses in the
Debonding loads are predicted using the proposed analytical cracked concrete outside the effective embedment zone are ig-
model in Eqs. 共24兲 and 共25兲 for different embedment lengths of nored in the analysis. The predicted failure load due to the rupture
the CFRP strips as shown in Fig. 12. The measured debonding of the CFRP strip and accounting for the tension stiffening of
concrete is 75 kN. Failure of Specimen B5, with an embedment
length of 850 mm was due to the rupture of the CFRP strip at a
load level of 79 kN, which is 5% higher than the predicted value.
Fig. 12 shows also that the minimum embedment length needed
to rupture the CFRP strips used in this program is greater than
750 mm and less than 850 mm, which coincides with the experi-
mental results.
The development length is highly dependent on the dimen-
sions of the strips, concrete properties, adhesive properties, inter-
nal steel reinforcement ratio, reinforcement configuration, type of
loading, and groove width. The proposed model in Eqs. 共24兲 and
共25兲, can be used to estimate the development length of near
surface mounted strips of any configuration as follows:
1. Use the proposed equations, Eqs. 共24兲 and 共25兲, to determine
the debonding load of the strip for different embedment
lengths as shown in Fig. 13. The resulting curve represents a
failure envelope due to debonding of the strip at cutoff point;
2. Use a cracked section analysis at sections of maximum in-
Fig. 11. Comparison of proposed model to finite element method
duced normal stresses and determine the ultimate load re-
after cracking of concrete at cutoff point
quired to rupture the strip as shown in Fig. 13; and

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Fig. 13. General procedures to calculate development length of near
Fig. 15. Influence of concrete compressive strength
surface mounted strips

3. Determine the development length at the intersection of the neutral axis depth and slightly increases the debonding loads. The
line corresponding to flexural failure of the strip with the analysis indicated that failure loads due to the rupture of the
curve representing debonding failure at cutoff point. CFRP strips were substantially increased with the increase of the
The calculated development length will preclude brittle failure reinforcement ratio. Consequently, the development is increased.
due to debonding of the strips and will ensure full composite Such an increase in the development length is highly pronounced
action between the strip and concrete up to failure. at low steel reinforcement ratios. At the absence of the internal
steel reinforcement (␳ s ⫽0), doubling the height of the CFRP
strip doubles the failure load due to rupture of the strip. Conse-
Parametric Study quently, the required development length is doubled as shown in
Fig. 14. The higher the internal steel reinforcement ratio, the less
Based on the confidence established in the analytical model, the the contribution of the CFRP reinforcement in increasing the rup-
analysis is extended to investigate the influence of various param- ture load. Therefore, the influence of doubling the height of the
eters, believed to affect the development length of near surface CFRP strip on the development length is significantly reduced for
mounted CFRP strips. The key parameters are identified as the high steel reinforcement ratios as shown in Fig. 14.
internal steel reinforcement ratio, concrete compressive strength, The influence of the concrete compressive strength and the
and groove width. In the following analysis, tension stiffening of groove width is illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16, respectively. The
the concrete was not accounted for to simplify the procedure. Fig. analysis was performed using two different internal steel rein-
14 shows the influence of the internal steel reinforcement ratio on forcement ratios. The first reinforcement ratio was set to 0.57% to
the development of near surface mounted CFRP strips. Two dif- match the steel reinforcement ratio at midspan section of the test
ferent sizes of CFRP strips were considered in the analysis. The specimens. The second reinforcement ratio was set to 1% to simu-
first strip has a height of 25 mm. The strip can be easily inserted late the most commonly used reinforcement ratio in flexural
in typical concrete covers. The height of the second strip is 50 members. The analysis indicated that failure loads due to the rup-
mm and was selected to accommodate typical bridge members ture of the CFRP strips were trivially changed with the variation
normally provided with large concrete covers. The thickness of of either the concrete compressive strength or the groove width.
the CFRP strips was set to 1.2 mm in both cases. In general, However, increasing concrete compressive strength results in a
increasing the internal steel reinforcement ratio shifts down the significant increase in the maximum shear stresses ␶ max . Further-
more, increasing the thickness of the adhesive 共by increasing the

Fig. 14. Influence of internal steel reinforcement ratio Fig. 16. Influence of groove width

JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES FOR CONSTRUCTION © ASCE / AUGUST 2003 / 255

groove width兲 reduces the shear deformation within the adhesive qny eff
layer. Consequently, the interfacial shear stresses are reduced. a⫽⫺ (27)
2I eff
These phenomena result in a significant increase in debonding
loads and consequently reduce the development length as shown qny eff
in Figs. 15 and 16. b⫽ 共 L ⬘ ⫺2l o 兲 (28)
2I eff
and
Conclusions qny eff qny eff l o
c⫽⫺ ⫹ 共 L ⬘ ⫺l o 兲 (29)
Based on the findings of this investigation, the following conclu- ␻ 2 I eff 2I eff
sions can be drawn:
1. The use of near surface mounted CFRP strips is feasible and
Case II. Simply Supported Beam Subjected
effective for strengthening/repair of concrete structures;
to Two Concentrated Loads
2. Use of near surface mounted CFRP strips substantially in-
creases both stiffness and strength of concrete beams. The For a simply supported beam subjected to two equal concentrated
ultimate load carrying capacity of the beams can be in- loads 2P placed symmetrically about the center line of the beam,
creased by as much as 53% for the specimens used in this the induced shear stress ␶ can be expressed as

冋 册
program. Groove dimensions of 5 mm wide by 25 mm deep
were adequate to prevent splitting of the epoxy cover; t f n P y eff n Py effl o ⫺␻x
␶⫽ ⫹ ␻e (30)
3. The proposed analytical model is capable of predicting the 2 I eff I eff
interfacial shear stress distribution, ultimate load carrying
where t f ⫽thickness of the strip; n⫽defined by Eq. 共10兲;
capacity, and mode of failure of concrete beams strengthened
P⫽concentrated load; l o ⫽unbonded length of the strip;
with near surface mounted CFRP strips. Excellent agreement
␻⫽defined by Eq. 共9兲; y eff⫽distance from the strip to the neutral
was established between the predicted values using the pro-
axis of the section; and I eff⫽effective moment of inertia of the
posed model and those predicted using finite element analy-
transformed section.
sis;
4. The proposed failure criterion for debonding of near surface
mounted CFRP strips provided sufficient evidence and con-
fidence in predicting debonding loads; Notation
5. Debonding loads increase by increasing the embedment
length of CFRP strips, concrete compressive strength, and/or The following symbols are used in this paper:
groove width; C 1 , C 2 ⫽ parameters in solution of differential equation;
6. Development length of near surface mounted CFRP strips c cr ⫽ neutral axis depth for cracked transformed
increases by increasing the internal steel reinforcement ratio. section;
The development length decreases with the increase of either c eff ⫽ effective neutral axis depth for transformed
the concrete compressive strength and/or the groove width. section;
c g ⫽ neutral axis depth for gross transformed section;
d f ⫽ depth of near surface mounted CFRP strips from
Acknowledgments compression fiber;
E c ⫽ modulus of elasticity of concrete;
The writers wish to acknowledge the support of the Network of E f ⫽ modulus of elasticity of CFRP strips;
Centres of Excellence, ISIS Canada, program of the Government f c⬘ ⫽ compressive strength of concrete after 28 days;
of Canada and the Natural Science and Engineering Research f ct ⫽ tensile strength of concrete;
Council. The writers gratefully acknowledge the support provided G a ⫽ shear modulus of adhesive;
by S&P Clever Reinforcement Company, Switzerland, Structural h ⫽ total height of concrete section;
Composites Inc., for providing the materials used in the test pro- I cr(transformed)
gram. The writers would also like to acknowledge the support ⫽ cracked moment of inertia of transformed
provided by Vector Construction Ltd., Winnipeg, Canada for per- strengthened section;
forming all the strengthening work. Special thanks to M. McVey I eff ⫽ effective moment of inertia of transformed
for his assistance during fabrication and testing of the specimens. strengthened section;
I g(transformed)
⫽ gross moment of inertia of transformed strengthened
Appendix. Shear Stress for Different Loading section;
Configurations L ⫽ embedment length of CFRP strip;
L ⬘ ⫽ total span of simply supported beam;
Case I. Simply Supported Beam Subjected l o ⫽ unbonded length of CFRP strip;
to Uniform Load M a ⫽ applied moment on concrete section;
M cr ⫽ cracking moment of concrete section;
For a simply supported beam of a span L ⬘ , subjected to a uniform n ⫽ defined by Eq. 共10兲;
load q, the induced shear stress ␶ can be expressed as P ⫽ applied concentrated load;
tf P cr ⫽ applied concentrated load that causes cracking at
␶⫽ 关 ax⫹b⫹c␻e ⫺␻x 兴 (26) cutoff points;
2
P d ⫽ experimental debonding load;
where P u ⫽ failure load;

256 / JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES FOR CONSTRUCTION © ASCE / AUGUST 2003

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