• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.645-658
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• 2018

Despite being one of the most abundantly used construction materials because of its exceptional properties, concrete is susceptible to deterioration and damage due to various factors particularly corrosion, improper loading, poor workmanship and design discrepancies, and as a result concrete structures require retrofitting and strengthening. In recent times, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites have substituted the conventional techniques of retrofitting and strengthening of damaged concrete. Most of the research studies related to concrete strengthening using FRP have been performed on undamaged test specimens. This contribution presents the results of an experimental study in which concrete specimens were damaged by mechanical loading and elevated temperature in laboratory prior to application of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets for strengthening. The test specimens prepared using concrete of target compressive strength of 28 MPa at 28 days were subjected to compressive and splitting tensile testing up to failure and the intact pieces of the failed specimens were collected for the purpose of repair. In order to induce damage as a result of elevated temperature, the concrete cylinders were subjected to $400^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$ temperature for two hours duration. Concrete cylinders damaged under compressive and split tensile loads were re-cast using concrete and rich cement-sand mortar, respectively and then strengthened using CFRP wrap. Concrete cylinders damaged due to elevated temperature were also strengthened using CFRP wrap. Re-cast and strengthened concrete cylinders were tested in compression and splitting tension. The obtained results revealed that re-casting of specimens damaged by mechanical loadings using concrete & mortar, and then strengthened by single layer CFRP wrap exhibited strength even higher than their original values. In case of specimens damaged by elevated temperature, the results indicated that concrete strength is significantly dropped and strengthening using CFRP wrap made it possible to not only recover the lost strength but also resulted in concrete strength greater than the original value.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.361-370
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• 2017

Through the use of finite element analysis and acoustic emission techniques we have evaluated the interfacial failure of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) repair patch on a notched aluminum substrate. The repair of cracks is a very common and widely used practice in the aeronautics field to extend the life of cracked sheet metal panels. The process consists of adhesively bonding a patch that encompasses the notched site to provide additional strength, thereby increasing life and avoiding costly replacements. The mechanical strength of the bonded joint relies mainly on the bonding of the adhesive to the plate and patch stiffness. Stress concentrations at crack tips promote disbonding of the composite patch from the substrate, consequently reducing the bonded area, which makes this a critical aspect of repair effectiveness. In this paper we examine patch disbonding by calculating the influence of notch tip stress on disbond area and verify computational results with acoustic emission (AE) measurements obtained from specimens subjected to uniaxial tension. The FE results showed that disbonding first occurs between the patch and the substrate close to free edge of the patch followed by failure around the tip of the notch, both highest stress regions. Experimental results revealed that cement adhesion at the aluminum interface was the limiting factor in patch performance. The patch did not appear to strengthen the aluminum substrate when measured by stress-strain due to early stage disbonding. Analysis of the AE signals provided insight to the disbond locations and progression at the metal-adhesive interface. Crack growth from the notch in the aluminum was not observed until the stress reached a critical level, an instant before final fracture, which was unaffected by the patch due to early stage disbonding. The FE model was further utilized to study the effects of patch fiber orientation and increased adhesive strength. The model revealed that the effectiveness of patch repairs is strongly dependent upon the combined interactions of adhesive bond strength and fiber orientation.