Compressive behavior of concrete cylinders confined by narrow strips of CFRP with spacing

Application of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is one of the effective strengthening methods for structural members such as reinforced concrete columns and beams. However, air voids and debonds between CFRP and concrete due to poor workmanship may degrade the structural performance otherwise expected by the strengthening. In order to minimize such debonds and ease the installation, the authors propose to wrap compressive concrete members with narrow strips of CFRP laminates with spacing. This paper focuses on an experimental study to investigate the effectiveness of applying the narrow strips of CFRP laminates. In this study, 60 concrete cylinders wrapped with CFRP strips having different spacings and widths are tested under compression load. The effects of several key parameters such as spacing, spliced length, number of layers, and section area of the CFRP laminates are investigated. In addition, stress–strain curves of pre-damaged specimens wrapped with CFRP laminates are also focused. Based on the experimental results, constitutive models of concrete confined by narrow strips of CFRP laminates are proposed.     

Ultimate behavior of axially loaded RC wall-like columns confined with GFRP

The assessment of the effectiveness of the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) confinement on rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns with high aspect ratio (wall-like) still represents an unresolved issue. The present paper aims at providing more experimental evidence about the behavior of such members confined with both uni-directional and quadri-directional glass FRP laminates. Particular attention is devoted to issues related to the premature failure of confining fibers experimentally observed in wall-like columns. Test results on nine axially loaded columns are herein presented; emphasis is also given to the analysis of FRP strain profiles along the sides of the cross-section. The analysis of test results highlights that glass FRP (GFRP) confinement could determine significant strength and ductility increases; the discussion of failure modes points out that the failure of GFRP confined wall-like columns is controlled by the shape of the cross-section and occurs at transverse strains in the jacket much lower than those ultimate of the fibers. Theoretical–experimental comparisons are performed using some available models for strength prediction of such members.     

FRP reinforced/prestressed concrete members: A torsional design model

The torsional design provisions of the Canadian standard S806 for fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced (RC) or prestressted (PC) concrete members are presented and their theoretical and empirical justifications are provided. The key parameters governing the nominal torsional strength are identified and their appropriate values for FRP-RC/PC members are specified. The accuracy of the method is evaluated by analyzing 27 FRP-RC/PC members tested under pure torsion by other investigators. The CSA method is able to reasonably predict the torsional strength of these beams. It is also shown that the cracking torque can be predicted using the formulas in the ACI and AASHTO LRFD codes without any modification. Some considerations with the statements of CNR-DT 203, fib 40, JSCE guidelines are also carried out.     

Behavior in compression of concrete cylinders externally wrapped with basalt fibers

This paper gives additional information on the use of new class of composites constituted by Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) bonded with epoxy resin to concrete specimens as an alternative confinement material for compressed concrete members with respect to carbon or glass fibers. From the experimental point of view, concrete cylinders are wrapped with continuous fibers, in the form of sheets, applying both full and partial discrete wrapping with BFRP straps, and then tested in compression. For comparison, few other concrete cylinders are wrapped with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets and tested in compression. The number and type of plies (full or partial wrapping), the type of loading (monotonic and cyclic actions) and the type of fiber (basalt and carbon) are the main variables investigated. The experimental results obtained from the compressive tests in terms of both stress–strain curves and failure modes show the possibility of reducing the brittleness of unconfined concrete, resulting significantly increased both the post-peak resistance and the axial strain of confined concrete corresponding to BFRP failure. Form the analytical standpoint, a review of the available models given in the literature is made and verified against the experimental data. Finally, a proposal for analytical expressions aimed at the calculation of the compressive strength and corresponding strain of confined concrete is provided also including the strain at BFRP failure.     

Guidelines for flexural resistance of FRP reinforced concrete slabs and beams in fire

Several building codes are currently available for the design of concrete structures reinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. Nevertheless, there is little information provided about structural behavior in case of fire and no reliable design methods are available for FRP reinforced concrete (RC) members in fire. The goal of this paper is to provide guidelines for the calculation of the resistant bending moment of FRP-RC members exposed to fire in compliance with the provisions of Eurocodes, based on studies recently carried out by the authors. The paper provides a conceptual approach to fire safety checks for bending moment resistance of FRP-RC members. With reference to thermo-mechanical analysis, a simplified design method (for both thermal and mechanical analyses) for sagging bending moment resistance of FRP-RC slabs in fire situations is finally suggested.     

Analytical modelling of plastic behaviour of uniformly FRP confined concrete members

A method is presented for the assessment and calibration of the elastoplastic behaviour of FRP confined concrete. The method is based on the evaluation of permanent deformations from observed experimental deformations and theoretical elastic response of confined concrete. The inelastic response of concrete and the parameters of its mathematical modelling are investigated. Closed form expressions are produced to relate the model parameters to the mechanical properties of the material. A strain-hardening Drucker–Prager model is developed which simulates both the hardening and softening material response with reasonable agreement to the experimental observations. The predictive ability of the model is verified through comparisons to numerous published experimental data and analytical models.     

Bond strength and effective bond length of FRP sheets/plates bonded to concrete considering the type of adhesive layer

Recent experimental results of the FRP–concrete bonded joint using flexible adhesive showed that the most popular analytical models available in the literature underestimate the bond strength and the effective bond length of these experiments. Most of these existing models need to be modified to consider the type of adhesive layer. Consequently, the bond strength model proposed by Chen and Teng (2001) has been modified to consider the type of adhesive layer. An extensive database consisting of about 100 test results of FRP–concrete joint has been assembled to examine the validity of the proposed model taking the type of adhesive layer into consideration. The modified bond strength model is accurately capable of predicting the bond strength and the effective bond length.     

Behavior of square and rectangular ultra high-strength concrete-filled FRP tubes under axial compression

This paper presents results of an experimental program undertaken to investigate the behavior of square and rectangular ultra high-strength concrete (UHSC)-filled fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes (UHSCFFTs) under axial compression. The effects of the amount of confinement, cross-sectional aspect ratio and corner radius were investigated experimentally through the tests of 24 concrete-filled FRP tubes (CFFTs) that were manufactured using unidirectional carbon fiber sheets and UHSC with 108 MPa average compressive strength. As the first experimental investigation on the axial compressive behavior of square and rectangular UHSCFFTs, the results of the study reported in this paper allows a number of significant conclusions to be drawn. Of primary importance, test results indicate that sufficiently confined square and rectangular UHSCFFTs can exhibit highly ductile behavior. The results also indicate that confinement effectiveness of FRP tubes increases with an increase in corner radius and as sectional aspect ratio approaches unity. It is found that UHSCFFTs having tubes of low confinement effectiveness may experience significant strength loss along the initial portions of the second branches on their stress–strain curves. Furthermore, it is observed that the behavior of UHSCFFTs at this region differs from their normal-strength concrete counterparts and is more sensitive to the effectiveness of confining tube. The second half of the paper presents the performance assessment of the existing FRP-confined concrete models in predicting the ultimate conditions of the HSC and UHSCFFTs. The results of this assessment demonstrate that the existing models provide unconservative estimates for specimens with higher concrete strengths. To address this, a new model that was developed on the basis of a comprehensive experimental test database and is applicable to both NSC and HSC of strengths up to 120 MPa is proposed. The model comparisons demonstrate that the proposed model provides significantly improved predictions of the ultimate conditions of FRP-confined HSC compared to the existing models.     

Shear strengthening of wall panels through jacketing with cement mortar reinforced by GFRP grids

This paper gives the results of a series of shear tests carried out on historic wall panels reinforced with an innovative technique by means of jacketing with GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics) mesh inserted into an inorganic matrix. Tests were carried out in situ on panels cut from three different historic buildings in Italy: two in double-leaf rough hewn rubble stone masonry in Umbria and L’Aquila and another with solid brick masonry in Emilia. Two widely-known test methods: the diagonal compression test and the shear-compression test with existing confinement stress. The test results enabled the determination of the shear strength of the masonry before and after the application of the reinforcement. The panels strengthened with the GFRP exhibited a significant improvement in lateral load-carrying capacity of up to 1060% when compared to the control panels. A numerical study assessed the global behavior and the stress evolution in the unreinforced and strengthened panels using a finite element code.     

Shear design of reinforced concrete beams with FRP longitudinal and transverse reinforcement

The shear resisting mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with longitudinal and transverse FRP reinforcement can be affected by the mechanical properties of the FRP rebars. This paper presents a mechanical model for the prediction of the shear strength of FRP RC beams that takes into account its particularities. The model assumes that the shear force is taken by the un-cracked concrete chord, by the residual tensile stresses along the crack length and by the FRP stirrups. Failure is considered to occur when the principal tensile stress at the concrete chord reaches the concrete tensile strength, assuming that the contribution of the FRP stirrups is limited by a possible brittle failure in the bent zone. The accuracy of the proposed method has been verified by comparing the model predictions with the results of 112 tests. The application of the model provides better statistical results (mean value V_test/V_pred equal to 1.08 and COV of 19.5%) than those obtained using the design equations of other current models or guidelines. Due to the simplicity, accuracy and mechanical derivation of the model it results suitable for design and verification in engineering practice.     

Harsh environments effects on the axial behaviour of circular concrete-filled fibre reinforced-polymer (FRP) tubes

Concrete-filled fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes (CFFTs) are becoming an attractive system for structural elements proposed to harsh environments. FRP tube provides a corrosion resistant element, reinforcement, confinement for the concrete core, and a stay-in-place formwork. Harsh environments may affect the mechanical performance of the FRP tube, which consequently affect the structural response of the CFFT members. This project investigates the environmental degradation and the durability of concrete cylinders unconfined and confined by filament-wound glass-FRP tubes. Standard plain concrete cylinders and CFFT cylinders were immersed in pure water, salt and alkaline solutions, and exposed to 200 freeze–thaw cycles, between −40 °C and +40 °C. Then, the cylinders were tested under uniaxial compression test to evaluate their performance by comparing the stress–strain behaviour and their ultimate load capacities. Test results indicated that the FRP tube, in CFFTs, is significantly qualified as a sustainable coating material to resist the harsh environments attacks. Theoretical predictions using long term confinement models from CSA and ACI codes are presented.     

Reliability and adaptability of the analytical models proposed for the FRP systems to the Steel Reinforced Polymer and Steel Reinforced Grout strengthening systems

The paper presents a theoretical prediction of the structural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams externally strengthened to flexure by using a unidirectional ultra-high tensile strength steel (UHTSS) reinforcing mesh embedded in an inorganic matrix (Steel Reinforced Grout, SRG) or in an organic matrix (Steel Reinforced Polymer, SRP).For these innovative composite materials are not yet available in literature specific standard documents, guidelines or analytical models capable to predict the structural behavior of the strengthened elements. Therefore, in order to evaluate the flexural strength of the strengthened beams some analytical models to predict the maximum axial strain developed in Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems at the onset of intermediate debonding failure, have been used.The goal is to assess the effectiveness of current analytical models used, up to day, to FRP strengthening systems to the SRG and SRP strengthening systems. For this aim, a database of experimental results on RC beams strengthened in bending by bonded SRG and SRP systems has been collected.The comparisons between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data, in terms of debonding strain values, load carrying capacity, load-midspan deflection curves, have highlighted the reliability and adaptability of the current analytical models.Finally, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the SRG and SRP systems for strengthening RC beams a parametric study was also carried out.     

Material and bond properties of ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete with micro steel fibers

For investigating the effect of fiber content on the material and interfacial bond properties of ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), four different volume ratios of micro steel fibers (V_f = 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) were used within an identical mortar matrix. Test results showed that 3% steel fiber by volume yielded the best performance in terms of compressive strength, elastic modulus, shrinkage behavior, and interfacial bond strength. These parameters improved as the fiber content was increased up to 3 vol.%. Flexural behaviors such as flexural strength, deflection, and crack mouth opening displacement at peak load had pseudo-linear relationships with the fiber content. Through inverse analysis, it was shown that fracture parameters including cohesive stress and fracture energy are significantly influenced by the fiber content: higher cohesive stress and fracture energy were achieved with higher fiber content. The analytical models for the ascending branch of bond stress-slip response suggested in the literature were considered for UHPFRC, and appropriate parameters were derived from the present test data.     

Shear capacity of reinforced concrete members strengthened in shear with FRP by using strut-and-tie models and genetic algorithms

Substantial research has been performed on the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with externally bonded fibre reinforced polymers (FRP). However, referring to shear, many questions remain opened given the complexity of the failure mechanism of RC structures strengthened in shear with FRP. This paper is concerned with the development of a simple automatic procedure for predicting the shear capacity of RC beams shear strengthened with FRP. The proposed model is based on an extension of the strut-and-tie models used for the shear strength design of RC beams to the case of shear strengthened beams with FRP. By the formulation of an optimization problem solved by using genetic algorithms, the optimal configuration of the strut-and-tie mechanism of an FRP shear strengthened RC beam is determined. Furthermore, unlike the conventional truss approaches, in the optimal configuration, compressive struts are not enforced to be parallel, which represents more consistently the physical reality of the flow of forces. The proposed model is validated against experimental data collected from the existing literature and comparisons with predictions of some design proposals are also performed.     

Influence of fiber orientation and thickness on the response of glass/epoxy composites subjected to impact loading

Composite laminates, made of glass/epoxy using compression molding technique, were subjected to impact loading. The ballistic limit and energy absorption capacity of the laminates were obtained. Experiments were carried out to study the effect of fiber orientation and thicknesses on ballistic limit and energy absorption of the laminates, by using a rigid conical bullet having 9.5 mm diameter and mass of 7.5 g in an air gun. Analytical expressions were obtained to find the ballistic limit, residual velocity and energy absorption capacity of the laminates. The expressions obtained by considering the various damage modes, which were involved in penetration, when laminates subjected to impact loading. The values obtained from analysis were compared with experimental results and good agreement was found. The strain rate sensitivity of the glass/epoxy composites was considered for analysis.     

Behavior and modeling of high-strength concrete tied columns under axial compression

This article presents experimental and analytical results of 21 high-strength concrete tied columns under axial compression. Each 1500-mm-tall column had a 500 by 500 mm section reinforced with 12 D25 longitudinal bars enclosed by perimeter hoops only, or perimeter hoops plus typical crossties, or perimeter and intermediate hoops. The concrete strengths of cylinder tests ranged between 55 and 99 MPa. The column compression tests showed that the longitudinal bars could be laterally supported by hoop corners or 135-degree seismic hooks of crossties, but not restrained by 90-degree hooks, which lost effectiveness after spalling of cover concrete. The proposed analytical approach used the existing Mander model and the Euler equation to determine the confined concrete strength and the buckling strength of longitudinal bars, respectively. With rational assumptions of confinement effectiveness and unsupported lengths, the proposed analytical approach can well predict the complete load-deformation response of test columns.     

Analytical modeling and experimental study of tensile strength of asphalt concrete composite at low temperatures

In this study, analytical modeling of the tensile strength of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures at low temperatures was developed. To do this, HMA mixtures were treated as a two-phase composite material with aggregates (coarse and fine) dispersed in an asphalt mastic matrix. A two-phase composite model, which was similar to Papanicolaou and Bakos's [J. Reinforced Plast. Compos. 11 (1992) 104] model with a particle embedded in an infinite matrix, was proposed. Unlike Papanicolaou and Bakos's model, an axial stress was introduced to the fiber end to consider the load transferred from the asphalt mastic the aggregate. Efforts were also made to consider the effect of aggregate gradation, asphalt mastic degradation, and interfacial damage between the aggregates and asphalt mastic matrix on the tensile strength of the HMA mixtures. Experimental investigations were conducted to validate the developed theoretical relations. A reasonable agreement was found between the predicted tensile strength and the experimental results at low temperatures. Parameters affecting the tensile strength of asphalt mixtures were discussed based on the calculated results.     

Bond between FRP composites and concrete: Assessment of design procedures and analytical models

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures has gained a wide popularity in the last decades. Although many experimental and analytical studies are available in literature, some issues are still under discussion in the research communities. Since the typical failure mode of FRP–concrete joints is reported to be debonding of the composite from the concrete substrate [1], the estimation of the bond strength between FRP and concrete substrate represents a key issue for the proper use of this technology. For this reason, several analytical models for the evaluation of the FRP–concrete bond strength and few models for the estimation of the effective bond length were proposed (some of them are included in design codes/recommendations/guidelines); however they were not assessed by means of an appropriate experimental database.This work shows an assessment of twenty analytical models for the evaluation of the FRP–concrete bond strength. The assessment is based on the analysis of a wide experimental database collected from the literature. The results are provided distinguishing between the test setup adopted (single or double shear test, bending test) and the material used (post impregnated sheets or pre impregnated laminates). The accuracy of each model was evaluated by means of a simplified statistical analysis. The influence of the test setup and basic material on the accuracy of the model used was analysed as well. Lastly, the accuracy of twelve available models in providing an estimation of the effective bond length was also assessed.     

Large scale hybrid FRP composite girders for use in bridge structures—theory, test and field application

This paper presents the manufacturing process and testing of large scale hybrid composite girders. The evaluation of the girders was a part of the European funded ASSET project. The bridge project, started in 1998 and finished in the autumn of 2002. The ASSET project has in brief covered the design, manufacture and construction of a fully polymer composite traffic bridge. The longitudinal girders are the most important part for the load carrying system of the bridge. Different types of girders were discussed, i.e. steel, concrete or FRP girders. Due to the advantages of FRP girders, for example; light weight, easy installation, superb durability and less maintenance compared to traditional materials it was decided to use FRP in the girders. However, before this could be carried out, tests were needed to verify theoretical calculations. Also a FE-analysis has been carried out, and this analysis is compared with an engineering analytical solution and tests. Both the numerical and the analytical theory correspond quite well with obtained test results.     

Theoretical and experimental study of foam-filled lattice composite panels under quasi-static compression loading

In this paper, a simple and innovative foam-filled lattice composite panel is proposed to upgrade the peak load and energy absorption capacity. Unlike other foam core sandwich panels, this kind of panels is manufactured through vacuum assisted resin infusion process rather than adhesive bonding. An experimental study was conducted to validate the effectiveness of this panel for increasing the peak strength. The effects of lattice web thickness, lattice web spacing and foam density on initial stiffness, deformability and energy absorbing capacity were also investigated. Test results show that compared to the foam-core composite panels, a maximum of an approximately 1600% increase in the peak strength can be achieved due to the use of lattice webs. Meanwhile, the energy absorption can be enhanced by increasing lattice web thickness and foam density. Furthermore, by using lattice webs, the specimens had higher initial stiffness. A theoretical model was also developed to predict the ultimate peak strength of panels.