INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF RC COLUMNS STRENGTHENED WITH GLASS FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER UNDER ECCENTRIC LOADING

Almost all current experimental studies and theoretical analyses have been focused on concrete columns subjected to axial loading, but the study of concrete columns under eccentric loading is scarce. In engineering practice, however, almost all columns are subjected to eccentric loading. It is therefore essential to study the behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer-jacketed reinforced concrete columns under eccentric loading. Experiments on 10 full size rectangular reinforced concrete columns strengthened with glass fiber-reinforced polymer are conducted. Various design parameters, such as eccentricity ratio, quantity of unidirection continuous fiber sheets, space of straps and loading history, are considered. Based on the test results, an analysis method is proposed and good agreement between test and theoretical results is achieved.