Axial Performance of Various Strengthening Methods Applied on Full-Scale Rectangular RC Columns

Abstract

The performance of RC columns subjected to axial force is relative to the confinement. CFRP wrapping, a generally adopted retrofit method, was proved not to effectively provide confining force due to the bulging effect on the column face. Therefore, this paper is focused on the performance of the retrofitted full-scale rectangular RC columns using different retrofit schemes including the proposed CFRP wrapping conjugated with CFRP anchors method. A total of eleven rectangular RC columns with low transverse reinforcement ratio were constructed. Among them, one was tested as benchmark; one was purposely constructed with larger transverse reinforcement ratio; five were retrofitted by using CFRP wrapping and CFRP anchors; and the other four were retrofitted by using different shapes of steel jacketing alone or with adhesive anchors. All the specimens were subjected to monotonic incremental axial force until failure occurred. Experimental results demonstrated that the ductility of the specimens retrofitted by using CFRP wrapping with CFRP anchors was significantly improved compared with those retrofitted by using only CFRP wrapping. On the other hand, the specimen with octagonal steel jacketing performed better than all other specimens not only on ductility but also on strength. Finally, a novel numerical model considering the contribution of the retrofit material will be proposed and validated in the future.