Mechanical Behavior of FRP-Strengthened Concrete Columns Subjected to Concentric and Eccentric Compression Loading

This paper presents the results of a study on the mechanical behavior of concrete columns strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and subjected to concentric and eccentric compression loading. A numerical analysis model was developed based on the effectively confined concrete area and the stress-strain relationship of the confined concrete established based on compression tests of circular plain concrete columns. The model was verified against the test results of square concentrically loaded plain concrete columns and square eccentrically loaded reinforced concrete columns. An analytical formula of the maximum compression load of square or rectangular fiber reinforced polymer strengthened concrete columns, with respect to the same but nonstrengthened columns, was developed based on the parametric study results by using the verified model. The analytical formula was further verified with the test results of 23 square and rectangular fiber reinforced polymer strengthened columns reported in the literature. Good agreement was achieved. It was found that the increase of the maximum compression load of FRP-strengthened concrete columns, with respect to the same but nonstrengthened columns, increases linearly with the amount of FRP sheets used and decreases linearly with the load eccentricity and exponentially with the concrete compression strength. The last observation implies that the FRP strengthening technique (through wrapping) is most suitable for low-strength concrete buildings. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.