Advanced and Simplified Modeling Approaches for the Study of the Bond Behavior of FRP Systems on Curved Masonry Substrates

Curved masonry structures externally strengthened by Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems exhibits failure mechanisms that emphasize a local bond behavior particularly influenced by the curved geometry of the substrate and the position of the strengthening (i.e. at the intrados or extrados). Indeed, together with tangential stresses, normal stresses in tension or compression also arise by leading to a combined mode I–mode II behavior of strengthening system at the reinforcement/masonry interface level. In recent studies, the Authors proposed different modeling approaches for FRPs applied to curved masonry structures. In particular, both micro-modeling detailed approaches and simplified approaches were generally proposed. The present paper critically analyzes these models by underlining the main differences among them, the assumptions and their ability to reproduce specific phenomena experimentally observed.