Critical buckling strength prediction of pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymeric composite columns

Glass fiber reinforced polymeric composites are unique and unlike conventional construction materials (steel, timber, concrete), inadequate design standards are holding back the high volume use of fiber reinforced polymer composites in construction. To alleviate part of this difficulty, this paper investigates several column failure prediction models. Composite material properties were developed by testing coupons and 0.30m long components under compression. Furthermore, a strain energy density failure model developed at West Virginia University in tension and bending was extended to axial compression, predicting the critical buckling load within 10% of experimental failure for different column lengths tested (1.83m, 2.60m, 2.75m, 3.05m). In conjunction with failure analyses, load-deflection effects enhanced by eccentricity due to loading and initial out-of-straightness were also investigated. The current research found that the preliminary design limit of column height (h/220) is acceptable under axial loads; however, manufacturing related imperfection limit state of h/700 is slightly low.