Seismic rehabilitation of substandard RC columns with partially deteriorated concrete using CFRP composites

Abstract

Many existing reinforced concrete (RC) columns in structures tend to become substandard RC ones due to updated standards or environmental changes. These substandard columns may alter the behaviors of the whole structure and therefore are in urgent need of seismic retrofitting. Owing to their superior advantages, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are widely used to retrofit RC columns. The applications mainly focus on various substandard RC columns, but few deals with substandard columns with deteriorated concrete, especially damaged by earthquake. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the seismic behaviors of CFRP reinforced partially deteriorated RC columns and to evaluate the effect of CFRP sheets on them. Six flexure-dominant columns were tested under a constant axial load and transverse cyclic displacements. It is found that the seismic behaviors of partially deteriorated columns can be recovered by wrapping CFRP sheets on them. Numerical analysis is then conducted using finite element methods and verified with experimental results. The effects of the axial load ratio, the ratio of the thickness of CFRP sheet to the column diameter, and the slenderness ratio on the seismic behaviors of CFRP reinforced RC columns are evaluated. Finally, a method is proposed to determine the required thickness of CFRP sheet.