Experimental and analytical assessment of SRF and aramid composites in retrofitting RC columns

This research aimed to investigate retrofitting methods for damaged RC columns with SRF (Super Reinforced with Flexibility) and aramid composites and their impacts on the seismic responses. In the first stage, two original (undamaged) column specimens, designed to have a flexural- or shear-controlled failure mechanism, were tested under quasi-static lateral cyclic and constant axial loads to failure. Afterwards, the damaged column specimens were retrofitted, utilizing SRF composites and aramid rods for the flexural-controlled specimen and only SRF composites for the shear-controlled specimen. In the second stage, the retrofitted column specimens were tested again under the same conditions as the first stage. The hysteretic responses such as strength, ductility and energy dissipation were discussed and compared to clarify the specific effects of each retrofitting material on the seismic performances. Generally, SRF composites contributed greatly to the ductility of the specimens, especially for the shear-controlled specimen before retrofitting, in which twice the deformation capacity was obtained in the retrofitted specimen. The shear-controlled specimen also experienced a flexural failure mechanism after retrofitting. In addition, aramid rods moderately fortified the specimen in terms of the maximum shear strength. The maximum strength of the aramid-retrofitted specimen was 12% higher than the specimen without aramid rods. In addition, an analytical modeling of the undamaged specimens was conducted using Response-2000 and Zeus Nonlinear in order to further validate the experimental results.