Failure diagrams of FRP strengthened RC beams

Amongst various methods developed for strengthening and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, external bonding of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) strips to the beam has been widely accepted as an effective and convenient method. The experimental research on FRP strengthened RC beams has shown five most common modes, including (i) rupture of FRP strips; (ii) compression failure after yielding of steel; (iii) compression failure before yielding of steel; (iv) delamination of FRP strips due to crack; and (v) concrete cover separation. In this paper, a failure diagram is established to show the relationship and the transfer tendency among different failure modes for RC beams strengthened with FRP strips, and how failure modes change with FRP thickness and the distance from the end of FRP strips to the support. The idea behind the failure diagram is that the failure mode associated with the lowest strain in FRP or concrete by comparison is mostly likely to occur. The predictions based on the present failure diagram are compared to 33 experimental data from the literature and good agreement on failure mode and ultimate load has been obtained. Some discussion and recommendation for practical design are given.