Experimental and numerical evaluation of axial compression strengthening for corroded square reinforced concrete columns by carbon textile reinforced concrete

Abstract

This research focuses on analyzing the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns under axial compression, both in their uncorroded and corroded states, through a combination of experimental and numerical investigations. For the experiment, seven specimens were prepared and manufactured subjecting to centric compression. The cross-sectional side length of the square columns was 200 mm. The column height was selected as 800 mm based on the dimensions of the testing machine. The specimens were divided into three groups: (i) the control columns, (ii) the corroded columns without strengthening, and (iii) the corroded columns strengthened with an external carbon textile reinforced concrete (TRC) layer. The experimental results showed that when the corroded columns had approximately 10% mass loss in longitudinal reinforcement and stirrups, the ultimate load was reduced by 5.7%. Meanwhile, the axial compression capacity of corroded columns strengthened by TRC layer was approximately 28% higher than the corroded unstrengthened ones. All tested specimens failed due to the buckling of the longitudinal reinforcement. The strengthened columns failed at the corners due to the rupture of the textile reinforcement. To validate the experimental results, a finite element (FE) modeling was presented.