Performance Enhancement of Steel Columns Using Concrete-Filled Composite Jackets

This paper studies the cross-sectional behavior of steel columns strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs). The composite column is constructed by wrapping the steel I-section column with epoxy-saturated glass- and carbon-FRPs (GFRP and CFRP) sheets in the transverse direction and subsequently filling the voids between the FRP and the steel with concrete. Experimental tests were performed on stub columns under axial compression including one to three CFRP wraps. A corner treatment technique, to avoid stress concentration at the corners and to improve confinement efficiency, was also investigated. A simplified analytical model was developed to predict the axial behavior of the composite columns. Experimental results showed significant enhancement in the behavior of the composite columns primarily attributable to the confinement mechanism imposed by the FRP jacket and concrete. Increasing the corner radius resulted in higher compressive strength of the confined concrete and ultimate axial strain of the composite columns. Good agreement between the analytically developed axial load-displacement relationships and the test data indicates that the model can closely simulate the cross-sectional behavior of the composite columns.