Toward Key Research Gaps in Design Recommendations on Flexurally Plated RC Beams Susceptible to Premature Failures

Abstract Beams that are strengthened with a plate at a soffit are susceptible to premature failure (peeling and debonding). Internationally available design standards provide varied recommendations that need to be compared. In addition, the models are too simplified (ACI440) or complex (FIB14), which miss some key parameters. This study will attempt to extend the design recommendations by proposing theoretical solutions based on the design codes (BS:5400 and IS:456). Ten different cases of possible modes of failure will be specified that specifically categorize peeling and debonding. Experiments will be conducted to identify the reasons why peeling failure is different from shear failure, which is an important criterion for the selection of appropriate models. The selected predictive models will be compared using a database of 507 beams to identify safety zones. Experiments from the literature will be selected to cover a wide range of geometrical and material properties and will be used to conduct parametric studies, which will lead to the design recommendations. ACI440 and FIB14 deviated significantly from the experimental observations. The results (with practical significance) and Chi-squared test (χ2) demonstrate that the proposed design formulations and recommendations are suitable to predict the moment capacity and failure mode.