Abstract: Bonding a strengthening plate to the tension face is an effective technique to repair reinforced concrete beams. Based on the linear elastic theory, this paper presents a method for calculating the bonding shear stress and the maximum bonding shear stress at the plate end of a RC beam with a linear distributed forces. This method agrees well with the finite element method. The results show that the bonding shear stress and the maximum bonding shear stress are influenced not only by the thickness and the elastic modulus of the adhesive, but also by the thickness, the elastic modulus and the length of the strengthening plate. This method can be used to check the maximum bonding shear stress at the end of plate, and to prevent the local destruction of the RC beam. The results of this paper may serve as a valuable reference for the revision of relevant design codes.