Behavior of Pultruded Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Beam-Columns Infilled with Engineered Cementitious Composites under Cyclic Loading

Glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) is an advanced material that has superior corrosion resistance, a high strength-to-weight ratio, low thermal conductivity, high stiffness, high fatigue strength, and the ability to resist chemical and microbiological compounds. Despite their many advantages compared with traditional materials, GFRP sections exhibit brittle behavior when subjected to severe loading conditions such as earthquakes, which could be overcome by infilling the GFRP sections with concrete. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation carried out on the cyclic response of a GFRP beam-column infilled with high-volume fly ash engineered cementitious composites (HVFA-ECC) consisting of 60%, 70%, and 80% fly ash as a replacement for cement. Finite element analysis was also conducted using robot structural analysis software, and the results were compared with the experimental results. The mechanical properties of GFRP sections presented are the compressive strength of ECC, the direct tensile strength of ECC determined using a dog-bone-shaped ECC specimen, the hysteresis behavior of the beam-column, and the energy dissipation characteristics. The lateral load-carrying capacity of beam-column GFRP infilled with HVFA-ECC consisting of 60%, 70%, and 80% fly ash was found to be, respectively, 43%, 31%, and 20% higher than the capacity of GFRP beam-columns without any infill. Hence the GFRP sections infilled with HVFA-ECC could be used as lightweight structural components in buildings to be constructed in earthquake-prone areas. Also in the structural components, as 70% of cement could be replaced with fly ash, it can potentially lead to sustainable construction.