Maximum Interfacial Stresses in Beams Strengthened with Composite Plates

摘要

Composites have been successfully used to upgrade civil engineering structures and, in particular, to strengthen beams. The significant stress concentration in the adhesive at the end of the bonded composite plate must, however, be considered to prevent premature failure. This research presents an analytical method to calculate the normal and shear stresses in the adhesive at the ends of the composite bonded plate. Two simple equations for the values of the maximum stresses are given. Furthermore, a numerical procedure is employed to solve the plate with end tapers. The results from the close-form solution and the numerical procedure were compared with those obtained from finite element analyses (FEA) and the agreement was found to be good.