ABSTRACT
Existing RC structures may be damaged or in need of repair due to a loss of carrying capacity, or may need to upgrade their resistance or stiffness in order to withstand an increase in load demand or to eliminate structural deficiencies. FRP laminates have successfully been used as external reinforcement since the early nineties. However, the existing experimental programs have shown the appearance of brittle failure modes involving the laminate peeling-off that limit the gains under ultimate and service conditions provided by the externally bonded reinforcement. Many investigators have attempted to predict these peeling failure modes and most of the existing theoretical work has been focused on the stress behavior at the laminate end. However, experimental studies have shown that the premature laminate debonding may also start at the opening of a flexural or shear crack. Therefore, there is a need to improve the knowledge of the peeling process in both locations to be able to predict premature failures.
