Experimental and numerical investigation of bias performance of steel fiber-reinforced GRC-CFFT columns

Abstract

Geopolymer concrete-filled glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube columns show significant potential in marine engineering due to their excellent durability and mechanical properties. This study investigated the bias performance of steel fiber-reinforced geopolymer recycled aggregate concrete-filled GFRP tube (SGRC-CFFT) columns, considering variables such as load eccentricity, GFRP tube thickness, fiber winding angle, and recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) replacement rate. The failure modes, load-displacement behaviors, and strain distribution were analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, a high-precision finite element model was established based on the test data. The test results indicated that increasing load eccentricity significantly reduced both the load-bearing and axial deformation capacity of CFFT columns. When the load eccentricity reached 0.40, the peak load of the specimen was only 39 % of that of the corresponding axial compression specimen. A higher RCA replacement rate would cause a more pronounced reduction in bias-bearing capacity, with a maximum decrease of 24.6 %. Before 80 % of the peak load, the axial deformation of the column mid-span section accorded to the plane section assumption. Due to the eccentric load, the hoop deformation of the CFFT column was concentrated on the compression side. The fiber winding angle was the critical factor influencing both the peak load and the peak moment of the biased SGRC-CFFT column.