Compressive behavior of ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) confined with FRP

Abstract

This study presents the results of an experimental program on the compressive behavior of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) confined ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). A total of 38 specimens were prepared and tested under axial compression. In addition to FRP confined UHPFRC, FRP confined ultra-high performance concrete without fiber addition (UHPC), high strength concrete (HSC), and normal strength concrete (NSC) were also tested to investigate their comparative performances. The test results indicate that the FRP confined UHPFRC can exhibit ductile behavior if sufficient FRP confinement is provided. However, due to their ultra-high strength as well as the unique microstructure, FRP confined UHPFRC is likely to exhibit more brittle behavior than FRP confined NSC and HSC. Compared to FRP confined NSC and HSC, the confinement efficiency is less for FRP confined UHPFRC. Sudden stress reduction or stress fluctuations are observed shortly after the initial peak stress (axial stress at the first peak point) for FRP confined UHPFRC. Based on the confinement level, the stress-strain behavior of FRP confined UHPFRC may experience a second ascending branch or a continuous descending branch after the sudden stress reduction or stress fluctuations. The influences of FRP layers, FRP types, and fiber addition on the compressive behavior of FRP confined UHPFRC are observed to be significant. Moreover, existing stress-strain models available for FRP confined UHPFRC are evaluated by using a database collected in this study.