Debonding Mitigation of CFRP-Strengthened Steel Beams with Silyl-Modified Polymer and CFRP Wrap Anchorage

Abstract

This paper presents an innovative strengthening methodology for damaged steel beams with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. Emphasis is placed on controlling premature CFRP debonding using an emerging material called silyl-modified polymer (SMP) in conjunction with its hybrid bond application with a conventional epoxy adhesive. The hypothesis proposed is that the low-modulus SMP addresses stress singularity along the CFRP-steel interface, while the high-modulus epoxy preserves interfacial capacity. CFRP anchorage assists the efficacy of such a hybrid bond configuration. A two-phase experimental program is conducted to evaluate the performance of various CFRP-strengthening schemes, including element- and structural-level investigations (i.e., interface and beam tests, respectively). Test results reveal that the SMP bond mitigates CFRP debonding that is commonly observed in epoxy bond. The strengthening systems employed significantly improve the flexural behavior of the test beams in terms of ductility and failure characteristics.