Bonding strength and fracture mechanisms in composite steel-CFRP elements

The use of advanced composite materials in strengthening and repair of existing structures is increasing rapidly. One specific area in which the technique has been introduced lately is the strengthening of metallic structures with bonded carbon-fibre laminates. In this paper, the behaviour of composite steel-CFRP members is studied experimentally and using FE-analysis. A new type of test specimen has been developed for this purpose. By examining different combinations of CFRP-laminates and adhesives, different types of fracture mode could be examined. The tested composite elements also displayed different behaviour and a large difference in strength and ductility could be observed.