Investigation of creep effects in strengthened RC structures through double lap shear testing

The creep effects in RC strengthened structures are studied through measurements in double lap shear tests and numerical results. The experimental results were obtained from an original test procedure and measurement device. Short-term tests were performed at different temperatures and results were checked by means of long-term tests using the WLF theory and the time-temperature principle. In the second part of the paper, a numerical model is proposed based on an incremental form of the linear viscoelasticity theory and the FE method. Numerical results were compared with test data and a parametric study was carried out. These results show that the proposed model allows a prediction of time-dependent response of the double lap shear test specimen and the stress redistribution occurring between the different materials, along the bonding joint and through the width of the specimen.