Determination of the Matrix-Fiber Cohesive Material Law of FRCM-Concrete Joints

Fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites have been increasingly used to strengthen existing concrete and masonry structures in the last decade. Two guidelines are available for the design and construction of FRCM strengthened members: ACI 549.4R (2013) and CNR-DT 215 (2018). Both these guidelines employ the effective strain, i.e. the strain at which the composite action is lost, as key parameter for the evaluation of the capacity of FRCM strengthened members. The American guideline ACI 549.4R (2013) employs the results of clevis-grip tensile tests on FRCM coupons to determine the composite effective strain. Such strain is determined by the Italian guideline CNR-DT 215 (2018) combining the results of direct shear tests on FRCM-substrate joints and of tensile test of bare fiber textile. The effective strain is strictly related to the matrix-fiber bond behavior, which can be expressed by the interface shear stress-slip relationship, i.e. the cohesive material law (CML). The effective strain is not sufficient for a full understanding of the structural response of strengthened members, since the knowledge of the CML is needed to predict important parameters such as the crack pattern or the location where debonding occurs in beams strengthened in flexure. This paper provides a simple procedure to obtain the CML from the load response obtained by direct shear tests of FRCM-substrate joints. The procedure is discussed and applied to the case of poliparaphenilene benzobisoxazole (PBO) FRCM-concrete joints previously tested by the authors.