Experimental and analytical analysis of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFRP

The technology of the Construction Industry is advancing constantly. Every year, new materials, equipment, and building techniques are introduced. In the specific case of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete structures, the innovations have contributed to the improvement of the properties of the concrete and the durability of the structures that incorporate this material. These advances are not restricted to the construction of new structures, however, and it is important to recognize the need to recuperate structural elements or increase their resistance, which has provided incentives for the improvement of techniques of structural reinforcement. In this context, the present study used a combined theoretical and experimental approach for the investigation of the effectiveness of the reinforcement of concrete columns by jacketing them with polymer mantles strengthened with carbon fibers. The analyses aimed to determine the effectiveness of the mantles in terms of the increase in resistance to axial compression and contribute to the understanding of the structural behavior of columns strengthened using this technique. To this end, centered axial compression tests were run on five short reinforced concrete columns, including one control column and four experimental columns with different reinforcement ratios. Numerical simulations were also run in the Abaqus software to determine the distribution of tensions inside the columns. The sum of the evidence was analyzed and it was verified that the strengthening used in the columns increased considerably their resistant capacities, thus the gain in this capacity was directly proportional to the value of the used strengthening rate—the column with the biggest strengthening rate bore a last load 42.8 % bigger than the one borne by the column of reference, with no strengthening. From these data, it was possible to obtain a simple predictive model of the increase in resistance capacity of columns strengthened with carbon fibers.