The use of Near Surface mounted Reinforcement for concrete structures are

not a new invention. A type of NSMR has been used since the 1940s, where
steel reinforcement is placed in slots in the concrete cover or in addition
concrete cover that is cast onto the structure. Here steel bars are placed in
slots in the concrete structure and then the slots are grouted. It has also
been quite common to use steel bars, fastened to the outside of the
structure covered with shotcrete. However in these applications it is often
difficult to get a good bond to the original structure and in some cases, it is
not always easy to cast the concrete around the whole steel reinforcing bars.
From 1960s the development of strong adhesives such as epoxies, for
the construction industry moved the method further ahead by bonding the
steel bars in sawed slots in the concrete cover. However, due to the
corrosion sensitivity of steel bars an additional concrete cover is still needed.
For these applications, epoxy coated steel bars are not always corrosion
resistant for various reasons that will not be discussed here. The use of steel
NSMR cannot be said to have shown great success. Nevertheless, by using
CFRP NSMR some of these drawbacks that steel NSMR posses can be
overcome.

Fig. 5.1. Near surface mounted FRP, rectangular shapes and rods

Firstly, CFRP NSMR does not corrode, so thick concrete covers are not
needed. Secondly, the CFRP laminate can be tailor made for near surface
applications and moreover the lightweight of the CFRP laminates makes
them easy to mount. Finally, depending on the form of the form of the
laminate air voids behind the laminates can be avoided. Both epoxies and
systems using high quality cement mortar can be used. However, before
proceeding, a short description of how to undertake a strengthening work
with NSMR will be given. In practical execution the following steps must in
general be performed during strengthening:

 Sawing slots in the concrete cover, with the depth depending upon
product used and the depth of concrete cover.
 Careful cleaning of the slots after sawing using high-pressurized water,
approximately 100-150 bars is recommended. No saw mud is allowed in
the slot.
 If an epoxy system is used, the slot must be dry before bonding. If a
cement system is used it is generally recommended that the existing
surfaces are wet at the time of concrete mortar casting.
 Adhesive is applied in the slot, or with a cement system, cement
mortar is applied in the slot.

Table 5.1 Characteristics and aspects of externally bonded FRP

reinforcement.
Properties NSMR
Shape Rectangular strips or laminates

Dimensions: Simple bonding of factory made profiles with adhesive or

cement mortar in presawed slots in the concrete cover
Thickness

Width

Application aspects For flat surfaces

Depends on the distance to steel reinforcement

A slot needs to be sawn up in the concrete cover

The slot needs careful cleaning before bonding

Bonded with a thixotropic adhesive.

Possible to use cement mortar for bonding

 Protected against impact and vandalism

Suitable for strengthening in bending

Minor protection against fire

ASSUMPTIONS IN NSMR STRENGTHENING

In the design for strengthening with NSMR the following assumptions are
made:

 Bernoulli’s hypothesis applies, i.e.; linear strain across the section

varies rectilinearly. This implies that the linear strain in the concrete,
steel reinforcement and laminate that occurring at the same level is of
the same size. Composite action applies between all the materials
involved.
 Concrete stresses are obtained from the materials characteristic curve.
Concrete compression strain is limited to an approved failure strain of
€=3.5%.
 For a cracked cross section, the concrete’s residual ensile strength is
ignored.
 The stress in tensile and compression steel reinforcement are taken
from the reinforcement’s characteristics curve corresponding to the total
strain. The total strain in laminate may not exceed the failure strain.
 The laminate is assumed to be linearly elastic until breakage i.e.;
Hooke’s law applies.

In addition to this it is important to notice that if there exists a strain field on

the structure, due to for example the dead load, this must be considered in
design.

STRENGTHENING TECHNIQUES
The NSMR strengthening is based on fixing,by epoxy adhesive,Carbon Fibre
Reinforced Polymersinto precut slits opened in the concrete cover of lateral
surfaces of beams.The EBR and NSM strengthening techniques are
represented infig6 .
 Fig. Strengthening techniques (a) external bonded,(b)near surface
mounted
Detailing of the near surface mounted reinforcement is an important issue;
we need to select the most suitable FRP cross-section and adhesive. In
design there should be considered the minimum distance between adjacent
reinforcement to avoid horizontal propagation of the splitting cracks, and the
minimum distance from the edge of the member to avoid edge splitting
effect.

Application of near surface mounted FRP reinforcement consists

of the following working steps:

In the first step a groove is cut using a saw with one or two diamond blades
or a grinder with dimensions in function of the reinforcement size and type.
Further preparation of the groove consists of cleaning the surface from dust
and lose parts using vacuum or compressed air, then the groove is filled
halfway with adhesive, afterwards the FRP rod/strip is inserted and lightly
pressed to let the adhesive flow around the FRP. Finally, the groove is filled
with more paste and the surface is levelled .The minimum dimension of the
grooves should be taken atleast 1.5 times the diameter of the FRP bar.
When a rectangularbar (strip) with large aspect ratio is used, the minimum
dimensionsmust be 3 times the bar width and 1.5 times the bar height. In
other instances, the minimum groove dimension could be the result of
installation requirements rather thanengineering. For example the groove
width may be limited bythe minimum blade size and the depth by the
concrete cover.We should always avoid cutting of the existing steel
reinforcement.Optimal dimensions of the groove may depend on
characteristicsof the adhesive, surface treatment of FRP, and concrete
tensile strength, surface aggregates

Fig. Spacing of the NSM reinforcement

Spacing of FRP shear reinforcement should not exceed lnet /2 or 600 mm

Fig. Shear Strengthening

 Fig.Procedure for strengthening with NSMR

Fig. Strengthening of a concrete joint with NSMR

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NSMR
The advantages of Near Surface Mounted Reinforcements are:-
 a low weight of the fibre makes it easy to handle without lifting
equipment at the site
 negligible changes of crosssection, self weight and free height of a
structure.
 quick to apply

There also exist disadvantages such as:

 Without protection the reinforcement is fire and impact sensitive.

 Design consultants, contractors and clients have limited experience.

Depending on the structure going to be strengthened, different aspects

might arise. For all strengthening methods it is of utmost importance to
understand how the strengthening will affect the final structure.

FAILURE MODES
Several failure modes are known in general for elements strengthened with
FRP. Their understanding is important, because they have significant effect
on the ultimate load.
5.5.1 Failure Modes of Externally Bonded FRP Reinforcements
Bond is necessary to transfer forces from the concrete in to the FRP, bond
failure implies complete loss of composite action. Four different bonding
failures are discussed below:
 debonding in the concrete cover near the surface along a weakened
layer,
 debonding at the interface between concrete and adhesive,
 debonding in the adhesive, and
 debonding between adhesive and FRP

Peeling-off failure is associated with the propagation of the localized

debonding. Peeling-off failures can be distinguished according to the
initiation of debonding. Debonding can result in peeling-off at: flexural
cracks, shear cracks, unevenness of the concrete surface and in the
anchorage zones

Fig. Interface bond failure modes for EBR FRP strips

Failure Modes of Near Surface Mounted FRP Reinforcement
1.Interfacial Failure Modes
Interfacial failure modes can develop in two modes as a pure interfacial
failure or as a cohesive shear failure in the adhesive. Pure interfacial failure
can be identified by the absence of adhesive remained at the FRP surface
after failure. Cohesive shear failure can be identified by the presence of
adhesive on both FRPand concrete after failure.

(1) Failure at reinforcement adhesive interface

The pure interfacial mode can be critical for bars with smooth or lightly
sand-blasted surfaces, when the bond relies on adhesion instead of
mechanical interlock between bar and adhesive.

(2) Failure at the epoxy concrete interface

Interfacial failure was found critical only in case of precast grooves due to
their even surface. When this type of failure develops the bond stress is
lower than usual, but failure is more ductile due to the residual friction at
adhesive and concrete interface.

2.Cover Splitting
The mechanism of cover splitting in case of round bars is similar to the
splitting bond failure of steel deformed bars, but due to the softer
deformations of the FRP bars the splitting tendency is not as intense.
Splitting is caused by the radial component of the bond stress. Multiple types
of cover splitting were observed, incase of epoxy adhesive concrete cracking
and concrete cracking accompanied by longitudinal splitting of the adhesive,
in case of cementitious mortar adhesive splitting of the adhesive was
dominant influenced by the low tensile strength of the filler material.
However, in case of NSM strips the perpendicular component of interactional
stress acts towards the thick lateral concrete (exception are reinforcements
close to the edge) so splitting failure is less likely to appear
 Fig. Failure at epoxy concrete interface

Fig. Cover splitting failure of NSM round bars a) concrete cracking

b)concrete cracking accompanied by longitudinal splitting of the
adhesive c) splitting of the adhesive
3.Edge Splitting
Edge splitting failure can be critical in elements where the reinforcement is
close to the edge of the concrete member. It is induced also by the
development of interactional stress. Edge splitting failure can be avoided by
keeping a minimum distance from the edge; this should be considered in
design Thermal expansion differences between epoxy and concrete can
influence edge splitting.

4.FRP Tensile Rupture

Tensile rupture (it has been rarely observed by non prestressed
strengthening) should be avoided according to its explosive nature.
Structures strengthened with prestressed FRP more frequently fail by fibre
tensile rupture because by prestressing the FRP we use a portion of its strain
capacity .