Strengthening
reinforced concrete beams and slabs using adhesively bonded or bolted plates is
well
established
because the fundamental plate debonding and failure mechanisms
are now generally understood and recognised in most published guidelines.
Furthermore, research is well advanced in quantifying these failure mechanisms,
so that plating for strength can be applied in practice and generally with
confidence. The aim of the Australian guideline, as with
established generic
national standards such as those for reinforced concrete design, is to provide
engineers with comprehensive and, in particular, generic design tools that
cover all forms of plating, that will allow them to find their own best
solutions, to develop their own plating techniques and to encourage current and
future developments in this new and rapidly developing
retrofitting technique.
The generic nature of this guideline and philosophy behind this guideline is
described in this paper as it is felt that a generic approach is needed if FRP
plating is to reach the same status and application as other structural forms.