Partial and Full Interaction Behaviour of FRP Plated Steel Member

Despite its complexity, partial interaction theory is the most accurate in analysing composite structures. The theory was then adapted into the FRP plated concrete structures and subsequently into the FRP plated steel structures. Previous research indicates that partial interaction and full interaction regions exist in the FRP plated steel member under axial load. In this paper, a numerical method applying the partial interaction theory is used to evaluate the plate end debonding of FRP plated steel member. A set of pull test specimen was tested to prove the existence of a full interaction region along the bonded length. Comparison with the previous research also shows that the result from the numerical method agrees well with the visual inspection from the experimental results.