Prediction of Axial Compressive Strength for FRP-Confined Concrete Compression Members

In the current work, a new strength model was proposed for capturing the ultimate axial strength of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP)-confined concrete compression members. First, a preliminary evaluation of previous strength models for estimating the wrapping effect of FRPs-confined concrete specimens was performed a large database of 520 confined concrete specimens was constructed with the detailed information of various geometric and material parameters of confined concrete specimens. Then, a strength model was suggested using regression analysis in MATLAB. The validation of the proposed strength model was made in two different approaches. In the first approach, the validation of proposed models was done by performing an experimental work of 6 carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) confined concrete cylinders and in the second approach, the nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) via a general-purpose program ABAQUS was performed. After validation, a detailed parametric numerical study was done using the newly suggested strength model. A close agreement could be found between tests, NLFEA and theoretical results.