Title: Durability studies on concrete columns confined with advanced fibre composites

Authors: Houssam A. Toutanji, Liangying Zhao, Gregory J. Isaacs

Addresses: Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, 35899, USA. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, 35899, USA. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634, USA

Abstract: This paper presents the results of two different durability studies of concrete columns confined with Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite and with PVC-FRP hybrid composite. The confined concrete specimens were divided into three groups: control (left at room temperature), exposed to wet/dry environment and exposed to freeze/thaw environment. The confined and unconfined concrete specimens were loaded in uniaxial compression. Test results showed that both types of confinements effectively increase the strength and improve the energy absorption capacity of the concrete specimens. The FRP and PVC-FRP hybrid confinements showed to significantly protect the concrete when subjected to harsh environmental conditions. The 200 freeze/thaw cycles appeared to have insignificant effect on the strength and ductility; whereas, the 400 cycles of freeze/thaw showed a reduction in both strength and ductility of the specimens.

Keywords: columns; composites; concrete; cylinders; durability; fibre reinforced polymers; FRP composites; polyvinyl chloride; PVC; cold temperatures; freezing; freeze-thaw cycles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2007.011507

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2007 Vol.28 No.1/2, pp.8 - 28

Published online: 01 Dec 2006 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article