Application of Heat-Activated Films as a new generation of adhesives used for bonding Fiber Reinforced Polymers and concrete.

Resumen

The application of FRP for post-strengthening of concrete structures induces the use of elevated temperatures to minimize the curing time of the adhesive. The replacement of traditional adhesives by Heat-Activated Films (HAF), with higher glass transition temperatures (Tg), is an interesting prospect, and has been motivating studies regarding the viability of applying termo-activated adhesives. For this study, notched beams post-strengthened with CFRP bonded with two types of heat-activated films (epoxy and phenolic based) and one classical adhesive were tested in bending at EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research). To verify the stress redistribution on the notched beams, a computational model, which divides the structure in solid elements, was implemented. The analysis of the behaviour in the concrete-laminate interface demonstrates that numerical models are an efficient tool to supplement and explain experimental data.