Experimental analysis on the time-dependent bonding of FRP laminates under sustained loads

Fiber reinforced composite materials are frequently used in the rehabilitation or upgrading of existing structures. From a design point of view, current international guidelines on FRP strengthening applications do not give rules based on rigorous approaches to evaluate the reliability and durability of strengthening interventions with respect to long-term behavior. In order to give a contribution on this topic, the authors have carried out a creep experimental program on retrofitting systems, either of carbon or glass fibers and subject to different stress values in regime of constant temperature. The tests have been carried out by means of a dedicated test device that provided a pure bending stress state in the strengthened beam, being the external loads held constant over time. In this paper the results of their investigation and critical analysis are presented. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.