Strength estimation for FRP wrapped reinforced concrete columns

Fiber-Reinforced Plastics (FRP) have received significant attention for use in civil infrastructure due to their unique properties, such as the high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness-to-weight ratio, corrosion and fatigue resistance, and tailorability. It is well known that FRP wraps increase the load-carrying capacity and the ductility of reinforced concrete columns. A number of researchers have explored their use for seismic components. The application of concern in the present research is on the use of FRP for corrosion protection of reinforced concrete columns, which is very important in cold-weather and coastal regions. More specifically, this work is intended to give practicing engineers with a more practical procedure for estimating the strength of a deficient column rehabilitated using FRP wrapped columns than those currently available. To achieve this goal, a stress-strain model for FRP wrapped concrete is proposed, which is subsequently used in the development of the moment-curvature relations for FRP wrapped reinforced concrete column sections. A comparison of the proposed stress-strain model to the test results shows good agreement. It has also been found that based on the moment-curvature relations, the balanced moment is no longer a critical moment in the interaction diagram. Besides, the enhancement in the loading capacity in terms of the interaction diagram due to the confinement provided by FRP wraps is also confirmed in this work.