Experimental study on concrete columns hybrid reinforced by steel and FRP bars under seismic loading

In order to study the dynamic behavior of hybrid reinforced concrete columns, shaking table tests of three concrete columns with equal initial stiffness were conducted.The longitudinal reinforcements include an ordinary steel bar,a steel-fiber reinforced polymer（FRP） composite bar（SFCB）, and hybrid reinforcement（steel bar and FRP bar, CH）. Test results show that the peak ground acceleration（PGA） responses of different columns are similar to each other. For an ordinary reinforced concrete（RC） column, the plastic strain of the steel bar develops rapidly after the PGA of the input ground motion reaches 100 cm / s^2, and the corresponding residual strain develops dramatically. For a SFCB column, even after the peak strain reaches 0. 015, the residual strain is below 5 × 10^- 4. For the hybrid column C-H,the residual strain of the FRP bar is similar to that of the SFCB column. In general, concrete columns with hybrid steel and FRP bar reinforcement can achieve smaller residual deformation, and the SFCB reinforced columns can be constructed in extreme environments, such as offshore bridges, due to good anti-corrosion performance.

Seismic strengthening of reinforced concrete columns damaged by rebar corrosion using combined CFRP and steel jacket

In order to study the effectiveness of combined carbon fiber-reinforced polymer （CFRP） sheets and steel jacket in strengthening the seismic performance of corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete （RC） columns, twelve reinforced concrete columns are tested under combined lateral cyclic displacement excursions and constant axial load. The variables studied in this program include effects of corrosion degree of the rebars, level of axial load, the amount of CFRP sheets and steel jacket. The results indicate that the combined CFRP and steel jacket retrofitting technique is effective in improving load-carrying, ductility and energy absorption capacity of the columns. Compared with the corrosion-damaged RC column, the lateral load and the ductility factor of many strengthened columns increase more than 90% and 100%, respectively. The formulae for the calculation of the yielding load, the maximum lateral load and the displacement ductility factor of the strengthened columns under combined constant axial load and cyclically increasing lateral loading are developed. The test results are also compared with the results obtained from the proposed formulae. A good agreement between calculated values and experimental results is observed.

Dynamic performance of angle-steel concrete columns under low cyclic loading-I:Experimental study

This paper describes low cyclic loading testing of nine angle-steel concrete column （ASCC） specimens. In the tests, the influence of the shear-span ratio, axial compression ratio and shear steel plate ratio on the hysteretic behavior, energy dissipation, strength degradation, stiffness degradation, skeleton curve and ductility of the ASCCs is studied. Based on the test results, some conclusions are presented. The P-A and sectional M -φ hysteretic models for the ASCCs are presented in a companion paper （Zheng and Ji, 2008）.

Dynamic performance of angle-steel concrete columns under low cyclic loading-II:parametric study

Tests of nine angle-steel concrete column （ASCC） specimens under low cyclic loading are described in a companion paper （Zheng and Ji, 2008）. In this paper, the skeleton curves from the numerical simulation are presented, and show good agreement with the test results. Furthermore, parametric studies are conducted to explore the influence of factors such as the axial compression ratio, shear steel plate ratio, steel ratio, prismatic concrete compression strength, yield strength of angle steel and shear span ratio, etc., on the monotonic load-displacement curves of the ASCCs. Based on a statistical analysis of the calculated results, hysteretic models for load-displacement and moment-curvature are proposed, which agree well with the test results. Finally, some suggestions concerning the conformation of ASCCs are proposed, which could be useful in engineering practice.

Compressive Strength Estimation for the Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP)-Confined Concrete Columns with Different Shapes Using Artificial Neural Networks

An evaluation of existing strength of concrete columns confined with fiber-reinforced polymer( FRP) was presented with extensive collection of experimental data. According to the evaluation results, artificial neural networks( ANNs) model to predict the ultimate strength of FRP confined column with different shapes was proposed. The models had seven inputs including the column length,the tensile strength of the FRP in the hoop direction,the total thickness of FRP,the diameter of the concrete specimen,the elastic modulus of FRP,the corner radius and the concrete compressive strength. The compressive strength of the confined concrete was the output data. The results reveal that the proposed models have good prediction and generalization capacity with acceptable errors.

Nonlinear fi nite element analysis of high-strength concrete columns and experimental verification

This paper describes a nonlinear finite element （FE） analysis of high strength concrete （HSC） columns, and verifies the results through laboratory experiments. First, a cyclically lateral loading test on nine cantilever column specimens of HSC is described and a numerical simulation is presented to verify the adopted FE models. Next, based on the FE model for specimen No.6, numerical simulations for 70 cases, in which different concrete strengths, stirrup ratios and axial load ratios are considered, are presented to explore the effect of these parameters on the behavior of the HSC columns, and to check the rationality of requirements for these columns specified in the China Code for Seismic Design of Buildings （GB 50011- 2001）. In addition, three cases with different stirrup strengths are analyzed to investigate their effect on the behavior of HSC columns. Finally, based on the numerical results some conclusions are presented.

Experimental study on the compressive behaviors of CFRP tube-encased concrete columns

Nine square concrete columns including 6 CFRP/ECCs and 3 concrete columns are prepared,which have cross-section of 200 mm×200 mm and height of 600 mm.The CFRP tubes with fibers oriented at hoop direction were manufactured to have 3 or 5 layers of CFRP with 10 mm, 20 mm,or 40 mm rounding corner radii at vertical edges.A 100 mm overlap in the direction of fibers was provided to ensure proper bond.Uniaxial compression tests were conducted to investigate the compressive behavior.It is evident that the CFRP tube confinement can improve the behavior of concrete core,in terms of axial compressive strength or axial deformability.Test results show that the stress-strain behavior of CFRP/ECCs vary with different confinement parameters,such as the number of confinement layers and the rounding corner radius.

Square concrete columns strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced plastics sheets at low temperatures

Twenty-one square concrete columns were constructed and tested. The testing results indicate that bonded carbon fiber reinforced plastics(CFRP) sheets can be used to increase the strength and improve the serviceability of damaged concrete columns at low temperatures. The failure of the specimens,in most cases,takes place within the middle half of the columns. And the failure of strengthened columns is sudden and explosive. The CFRP sheets increase both the axial load capacity and the ultimate concrete compressive strain of the columns. The ultimate loads of strengthened columns at-10,0 and 10 ℃ increase averagely by 9.09%,6.63% and 17.83%,respectively,as compared with those of the control specimens. The axial compressive strength of strengthened columns is related to the curing temperatures. The improvement of axial compressive strength decreases with reducing temperature,and when the temperature drops to a certain value,the improvement increases with falling temperature.

Experimental study on slender reinforced concrete columns wrapped with CFRP

By axial compression tests on 6 reinforced concrete slender columns wrapped with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP),with slenderness ratio(SR) from 4.5 to 17.5,the results show that when SR increases the retrofitting effect declines. In the case of same SR,the stability coefficient (SC) for the reinforced concrete(RC) columns with CFRP is much less than that without CFRP. There is 20% increase of stable bearing capacity to the former as compared with the latter when the SR in less than 17.5. The study summarized the simplified formula for SC,which provides a reference for engineering designers.

Mesoscopic investigation on seismic performance of corroded reinforced concrete columns

In addition to the normal service loadings,engineering structures may be subjected to occasional loadings such as earthquakes,which may cause severe destruction.When the steel rebar is corroded,the damage could be more serious.To investigate the seismic performance of corroded RC columns,a three-dimensional mesoscale finite element model was established.In this approach,concrete was considered as a three-phase composite composed of aggregate,mortar matrix and interfacial transition zone(ITZ).The nonlinear spring were used to describe the bond slip between steel and concrete.The degradation of the material properties of the steel rebar and cover concrete as well as the bonding performance due to corrosion were taken into account.The rationality of the developed numerical analysis model was verified by the good agreement between the numerical results and the available experimental observation.On this basis,the effect of corrosion level,axial force ratio and shear-span ratio on the seismic performance of corroded RC columns,including lateral bearing capacity,ductility,and energy consumption,were explored and discussed.The simulation results indicate that the mesoscopic method can consider the heterogeneity of concrete,to more realistically and reasonably reflect the destruction process of structures.

Experimental Study of Post-heated Steel Reinforced Recycled Concrete Columns Repaired with CFRP

The mechanical and thermal properties of steel reinforced concrete columns with CFRP reinforcement were examined after exposure to a high temperature of 500℃. The concrete made with normal and recycled coarse aggregate（RCA） was fabricated and three different RCA replacement ratios（0, 50%, and 100%） were investigated. The fatigue properties of steel reinforced concrete with RCA and CFRP reinforcement were tested for two million cycles at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. The test results show that the failure of strengthened specimens is mainly caused by rupture of CFRP jacket and buckling of inner section steel reinforcement. However, for the unstrengthened specimen, both of inner steel buckling and core concrete cracking are the main contributors to the damage. The load-bearing capacity, deformation and energy dissipation of the specimens during the fatigue test could be strengthened greatly by CFRP reinforcement. However, the CFRP reinforcement has little influence on the improvement of the stiffness of the specimens, which may be caused by a plastic damage accumulation during the early cycles of fatigue tests. Finally, a static test was conducted on the postfatigue specimens, the results showed that a large decrease in stiffness was observed for the specimens subjected to high temperature and fatigue, and the fatigue loading had a higher influence on the specimens than the high temperature.

Axial compressive behaviors of partial deteriorated strength concrete columns confined with CFRP

This paper aims to present an effective method to partial deteriorated strength columns,and to investigate the mechanical behavior of the defect part. Five groups of 150×150 mm×mm plain square columns are cast; each specimen has two different strengths,the lower strength in the middle segment and higher strength in both ends. The lower strength is to simulate the status of partial deteriorated region. Different layers of CFRP sheets have been wrapped just on the lower strength part to gain the reinforcement with CFRP sheets,and to verify the practicability of partial confinement. Specimens are subjected to monotonic axial compression until failure. Axial load,axial and transverse strains are measured to compare the different behaviors between the two parts. Experimental results show that partial confinement can significantly enhance the strength and the ductility of the deteriorated strength part,then,the load capacity of the whole column can be increased subsequently. Test data indicate that the ultimate load of the confined column is higher than that of the original column without deterioration; partial confinement on weakness is a feasible approach.

Experimental Study of Concrete Column Shape Modification Using Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Shells and Expansive Cement Concrete

Fiber Reinforced Polymer （FRP） composites are an effective material for strengthening circular concrete columns. The effectiveness of FRP confinement for square and rectangular columns is greatly reduced due to stress concentrations at the sharp comers and loss of the membrane effect at the fiat sides of the cross-section. Shape modification can eliminate the effects of column comers and flat sides, and thereby restore the membrane effect and improve the compressive behavior of FRP-confined square and rectangular concrete columns. Shape modification using chemical post-tensioning, achieved by using expansive cement concrete, is described and several mix designs for obtaining the optimal level of expansion are presented. In addition, parametric studies regarding the optimal geometry of the shape-modified cross-section are presented utilizing the analytical model.

Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Columns Strengthened with Ferrocement under Compression Conditions: Experimental Approach

This paper reports a study based upon experimental investigation which aims to assess the behaviour of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with a new configuration of steel wire mesh as part of ferrocement layer under the action of axial compression loads. Square and circular small scale columns with three different slenderness ratios of 5, 6.7 and 10 were adopted. A comprehensive experimental progarmme was then running to measure the load capacity and both lateral and vertical displacements. The failure mode was also monitored for each tested case. The results obtained was compared with the reference column samples (without wire mesh) and with some expressions suggested by ACI Code. The experimental results showed that the most influential parameter on the property of load carrying capacity is the slenderness of column. As the slenderness increases, the load capacity clearly decreases. The use of wire mesh enhanced the capability of column to resist the axial loads due to confinement role provided by such material. The maximum percentage increase in load carrying capacity for the modified columns compared with those for the reference samples was 53% for the circular column at slenderness ratio of 10. The critical path of the failure mode was similar for all of the tested columns and normally began from the top or bottom ends, then, in some cases, passed through the middle zone of the column. A suitable expression was suggested to be used for calculating the modulus of elasticity of the tested column based upon the value of load carrying capacity under compression loads.

Influence of steel corrosion on axial and eccentric compression behavior of coral aggregate concrete column

To study the behavior of coral aggregate concrete(CAC)column under axial and eccentric compression,the compression behavior of CAC column with different types of steel and initial eccentricity(ei)were tested,and the deformation behavior and ultimate bearing capacity(Nu)were studied.The results showed that as the ei increases,the Nu of CAC column decreases nonlinearly.Besides,the steel corrosion in CAC column is severe,which reduces the steel section and steel strength,and decreases the Nu of CAC column.The durability of CAC structures can be improved by using new organic coated steel.Considering the influence of steel corrosion and interfacial bond deterioration,the calculation models of Nu under axial and eccentric compression were presented.

A Review of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Reinforced Concrete Composite Column Members Modelling and Analysis Techniques

The use of fibre-reinforced polymer(FRP)to confine concrete columns improves the strength and ductility of the columns by reducing passive lateral confinement pressure.Many numerical and analytical formulations have been proposed in the literature to describe the compressive behaviour of FRP confined concrete under both monotonic and cyclic loads.However,the efect of a stress/strain level in the columns has not been well defined because of the lack of well-defined strategies of modeing and oversimplification of the model.This paper reviews the existing FRP combinations and the available numerical and analytical methods to determine the effectiveness of the adopted method.An effort has been made to examine the usage of FRP materials in column applications in exist-ing building regimes and highlights the possible future scopes to improve the use of FRP confined concrete in civil applications.

Shear-critical reinforced concrete columns under various loading rates

This paper presents an experimental study of shear-governed reinforced concrete columns subjected to different loading rates. Four typical short columns were tested cyclically with loading rate of 0.05, 1, 3, and 5 Hz, simulating seismic load. Test result indicated that the loading rate does not affect the column behavior when the rate is up to 5 Hz. Furthermore, Carbon Nano-Fiber Aggregates （CNFAs） were utilized as internal sensors to detect the damage in the column. The test result shows that the CNFAs work well sensing the structural behavior. The CNFA output was further quantitatively correlated to the structural damage level. Finally, a finite element analytical model was constructed to describe the behavior of short columns with shear failure. The analytical model successfully modeled the cyclic loading test results.

Confinement properties of circular concrete columns wrapped with prefabricated textile-reinforced fine concrete shells

This paper proposes an innovative column composed of a core column(including both reinforced concrete(RC)and plain concrete(PC)columns)and a prefabricated textile-reinforced fine concrete(TRC)shell.To study the confinement properties of TRC shells on this novel type of concrete column,20 circular specimens,including 12 PC columns and 8 RC columns,were prepared for axial compressive tests.Four key parameters,including the column size,reinforcing ratio of the carbon textile,concrete strength,and stirrup spacing,were evaluated.The results indicated that the compressive properties of the columns were improved by increasing the reinforcing ratio of the textile layers.In the case of TRC-confined PC columns,the maximum improvement in the peak load was 56.3%,and for TRC-confined RC columns,the maximum improvement was 60.2%.Based on the test results,an analytical model that can be used to calculate the stress–strain curves of prefabricated TRC shell-confined concrete columns has been proposed.The calculated curves predicted by the proposed model agreed well with the test results.

Strength and Deformation of Axially Loaded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Sheet Confined Concrete Columns

Experimental results of 29 axially loaded fiber-reinforced polymer sheet (FS) confined concrete columns and two reference plain concrete columns are introduced. Twenty four column specimens were confined with carbon fiber sheet (CFS) and five column specimens were hybrid confined with both CFS and glass fiber sheet (GFS). The influence of aspect ratio, FS material, initial axial force ratio, and FS confine-ment degree on the strength and deformation of columns were studied. Based on the experimental results, the equations of complete stress-strain curve of CFS confined concrete are proposed. These equations are suitable for the nonlinear analysis of square and rectangular section columns. Suggestions of applying FS to confine concrete columns are presented.

Experimental investigation of seismic performance of concrete-filled glass fiber reinforced polymer tubular columns

A reinforced concrete (RC) column and four concrete filled GFRP tubular columns,which are subjected to combined axial compression and lateral cycle loading,were tested in order to investigate the seismic performance of composite construction concrete filled glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) tubular (CFFT) columns.The results indicated that concrete-filled GFRP tubular columns exhibit considerable influence over the seismic performance of columns by providing hoop confinement to the core concrete.The concrete filled GFRP tubular columns exhibit significant improvement over traditional RC columns in both ultimate strength and ductility.Different column-footing connection modes do not affect the strength and ductility of concrete filled GFRP tubular columns.The strength of concrete filled GFRP tubular columns under high axial compression load conditions are slightly increased,however,ductility declined.