ABSTRACT
A finite element analysis was carried out to investigate the nonlinear behavior of RC beams strengthened by externally bonded steel or FRP plates in the programs. The Coulomb criterion with a constant failure surface was adopted as the bonding failure criterion for the concrete-epoxy interface where the premature failure may occur. An interface element employing the Coulomb criterion was implemented in a nonlinear finite element analysis program for the simulation of the bonding failure behavior. A Numerical example is presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the present method. Comparison of analysis results with experimental ones shows good agreement. It can be concluded that a reliable strengthening design can be achieved by predicting the premature failure loads of strengthened RC beams using the developed program.
