Mechanical behavior of FRP confined rubber concrete under monotonic and cyclic loading

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)-confined rubber concrete under monotonic and cyclic axial compression loading. Thirty-six concrete cylinders were cast with three rubber volume replacement ratios of fine aggregates (0%, 20%, and 30%). Twenty-four rubber concrete cylinders confined with 1 layer and 2 layers of FRP sheets were used to investigate the monotonic and cyclic stress–strain behavior. Twelve unconfined rubber concrete cylinders with different rubber volume replacement ratios Rf were used to determine the compressive strength. The test results show that the rubber volume replacement ratio Rf has an insignificant effect on the failure mode. With the increase in the rubber volume replacement ratio Rf, the compressive strength and ultimate strain of the FRP-confined rubber concrete show a decreasing trend, and the unloading and reloading stiffness of the FRP-confined rubber concrete decreases with increasing rubber content. Finally, a cyclic stress–strain model for FRP-confined rubber concrete was developed by using the test data. The evaluation results show that the proposed model can accurately predict the whole cyclic stress–strain response of FRP-confined rubber concrete.