EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION STUDIES OF FAILURE MODES OF GFRP-REINFORCED SHORT STEEL TUBES UNDER AXIALLY COMPRESSIVE LOADS

The bearing capacity and damage features of glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin (GFRP) reinforced thin-walled circular short steel tubes under axially compressive loads were studied using both experimental and numerical methods. The effects of diameter-thickness ratio, specimen's length and winding angle (the angle between the axis of the tube and the tangential direction of the winding fiber) on specimens' bearing capacity were studied. In the simulation, the explicit solver of ABAQUS was chosen. Moreover the GFRP's Hashin Failure criterion and the interfacial debond between GFRP and the steel tube were considered. The simulation results agreed well with experiment results. The influence of volume fraction of GFRP (the volume of GFRP/the total volume of component) to specimens' bearing capacity was analyzed.