Effects of eccentric loading on performance of concrete columns reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars.

Abstract

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcements are superior to traditional steel bars in concrete structures, particularly in vertical elements like columns, and offer significant advantages over conventional steel bars when subjected to axial and eccentric loadings. However, there is limited experimental and numerical research on the behavior of GFRP-reinforced concrete (RC) columns under eccentric loading having different spacing of stirrups. In this study, six specimens were cast under three different values of eccentricities (25mm, 50mm, and 75mm) with two groups of stirrups spacing (50mm and 100mm). The experimental results showed that by increasing the eccentricity value, there was a reduction in the load-carrying capacityof the specimens. The finite element ABAQUS software was used forthe numerical investigation of this study.The results from the finite element analysis (FEA) were close to the experimental results and within the acceptable range. The maximum difference between theexperimental and FEA resultswas 3.61% for the axial load and 12.06% for the deformation.