Stress-Strain Behavior Characteristics of Concrete Cylinders Confined with FRP Wrap

Recently, fiber-reinforced plastic(FRP) wraps are blown as an effective material for the enhancement and rehabilitation of aged concrete structures. The purpose of this investigation is to experimentally investigate behavior of concrete cylinder wrapped with FRP materials. Experimental parameters include compressive strength of concrete cylinder, FRP material, and confinement ratio. This paper presents the results of experimental studies on the performance of concrete cylinder specimens externally wrapped with aramid, carbon and glass fiber reinforced Polymer sheets. Test specimens were loaded in uniaxial compression. Axial load, axial and lateral strains were investigated to evaluate the stress-strain behavior, ultimate strength ultimate strain etc. Test results showed that the concrete strength and confinement ratio, defined as the ratio of transverse confinement stress and transverse strain were the most influential factors affecting the stress-strain behavior of confined concrete. More FRP layers showed the better confinement by increasing the compressive strength of test cylinders. In case of test cylinders with higher compressive strength, FRP wraps increased the compressive strength but decreased the compressive sham of concrete test cylinders, that resulted in prominent brittle failure mode. The failure of confined concrete was induced by the rupture of FRP material at the stain, being much smaller than the ultimate strain of FRP material.