Abstract

Strengthening-by-stiffening (SBS) is a technique for enhancing the shear performance of buckling-prone webs of steel beams by bonding glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) stiffeners. This paper focuses on changes in load capacity, ductility, and mode of failure of SBS under cyclic loading and after exposure to weathering conditions for 1 year. First, weathering effects on mechanical properties of the adhesive used in bonding the GFRP stiffeners are presented. The ductility of the epoxy was significantly reduced; however, the ultimate stress increased by about 68% over the ultimate stress of the nonweathered coupons. Furthermore, weathering led to the formation of a thin film of rust that propagated around the edges of the bonding adhesive for the full-scale beams. Consequently, the ultimate load capacity of the weathered beam dropped about 11% after 1 year of environmental exposure. Cyclic loading, however, resulted in negligible change in the ultimate load capacity. For all tested beams, the ductile adhesive used in bonding the GFRP stiffeners prevented a sudden drop in load capacity due to debonding of the GFRP stiffener in all tests.

  • Kapsamı

    Uluslararası

  • Type

    Hakemli

  • Index info

    WOS.SCI

  • Language

    English

  • Article Type

    None

  • Keywords

    Adhesive Weathering Debonding Cyclic load Stiffener Steel Strengthening Composite Buckling Shear Fiber-reinforced polymer