Debonding of FRP-plated reinforced concrete beam, a bond-slip analysis. I. Theoretical formulation

External bonding of FRP plates or sheets has emerged as a popular method for strengthening reinforced concrete. Debonding along the FRP–concrete interface can lead to premature failure of the structure. In this study, a bond-slip model is established to study the interface debonding induced by a flexural crack in a FRP-plated concrete beam. The reinforced concrete beam and FRP plate are modeled as two linearly elastic Euler–Bernoulli beams bonded together through a thin layer of FRP–concrete interface. The interface layer is essentially modeled as a large fracture processing zone of which the stress–deformation relationship is described by a nonlinear bond-slip model. Three different bond-slip models (bi-linear, triangular and linear-damaging) are used. By dividing the debonding process into several stages, governing equations of interfacial shear and normal stresses are obtained. Closed-form solutions are then obtained for the interfacial shear and normal stresses and the deflection of the beam in each stage of debonding. In such a way, the proposed model unifies the whole debonding process, including elastic deformation, debonding initiation and growth, into one model. With such a superior feature, the proposed model provides an efficient and effective analytical tool to study FRP–concrete interface debonding.