Experimental Study of Concrete Cylinders Confined by Composite Materials

Abstract

There are a number of situations where it may become necessary to enhance the load-carrying capacity of elements subjected to compression loads like columns and bridge piles. External reinforcement with fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) appeared with very good results and its use has increased in the last years.
The behaviour of simple and reinforced concrete cylinders confined with FRP and subjected to axial load is assessed experimentally in this paper. Axial stress and strain diagram and failure modes for both kind of specimens, simple and reinforced concrete are analyzed. In both cases FRP external reinforcement increases cylinders resistance and induces ductility, confining and containing the concrete after its failure. Comparisons between experimental maximum compression strength values and predictions using empirical models by different authors are also presented