Description
During an international project called SBO (Strength Bond Offshore), a design strategy of adhesively bonded composite reinforcements for steel structures was developed and assessed. It relied on the use of a large number of fracture mechanics tests in mode I, mode II and mixed-mode. To reduce the number of samples while remaining representative of the studied reinforcement a new methodology called “equivalent interface samples” is proposed.
This paper aims at presenting the adaptation of fracture mechanics tests implied by this new methodology for all tested modes (mode I, mode II and mixed mode), and its use during the design strategy. First, the geometry of the samples will be presented. Then, the obtained results during the fracture mechanics experimental campaign will be introduced. Those investigations relied on the use of optical fiber to monitor the crack propagation during the tests. The obtained toughness characterizations allowed to propose a design strategy that was assessed in regards with experimental tests led on real size steel samples reinforced with adhesively bonded composite. The comparison allowed a validation of the new methodology for the design strategy of bonded composite reinforcements for steel structures.
