AN INNOVATIVE FORM OF REINFORCEMENT FOR CONCRETE COLUMNS USING ADVANCED COMPOSITES

The premature corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures can be a major problem, particularly in aggressive environments. The increasing cost of repair to corrosion-damaged structures has resulted in the development of alternative non-ferrous materials such as fibe-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites. This paper describes an innovative reinforcing system for concrete columns using purpose-made prefabricated FRP-filament-wound tubes. The FRP composite provides a barrier to the ingress of chlorides and atmospheric gases, and acts as structural reinforcement for the column. The triaxial confinement of the concrete core due to the FRP composite results in significant increases in both the strength and ductility of the composite columns. Additionally, the filament-wound tube has sufficient rigidity to act as permanent formwork. To determine the short-term behaviour of such FRP compositely-reinforced concrete columns, 121 full-scale concrete columns have been tested to failure. (A)