Analytical Model for FRP-Confined Circular Reinforced Concrete Columns

One disadvantage of most available stress–strain models for concrete confined with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is that they do not take into consideration the interaction between the internal lateral steel reinforcement and the external FRP sheets. According to most structural concrete design codes, concrete columns must contain minimum amounts of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement. Therefore, concrete columns that have to be retrofitted (and therefore confined) with FRP sheets usually contain lateral steel. Hence, the retrofitted concrete column is under two actions of confinement: the action due to the FRP and that due to the steel ties. This paper presents a new designed-oriented confinement model for the axial and lateral behavior of circular concrete columns confined with steel ties, FRP composites, and both steel ties and FRP composites. Comparison with experimental results of confined concrete stress–strain curves shows good agreement between the test and predicted results.