Stress-strain behavior of concrete columns confined with hybrid composite materials

A new type of concrete columns was developed at the I P University of Alabama in Huntsville for new construction to achieve more durable and economical structures. The columns arc made of concrete cores encased in a PVC tube reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). The PVC tubes are externally rcinforced with continuous impregnated fibers in the form of hoops at different spacings. The PVC acts as formwork and a protective jacket, while the FRP hoops provide confinement to the concrete so that the ultimate compressive strength and ductility of concrete columns can be significantly increased. The volume of fibers used in this hybrid column system is very modest compared to other existing confinement methods such as FRP tubes and FRP jackets. This paper discusses the stress-strain behavior of these new composite concrete cylinders under axial compression loading. Test variables include the type of fiber, volume of fiber, and the spacing between the FRP hoops. A theoretical analysis was performed to predict the ultimate strength, failure strain and the entire stress-strain curve of concrete confined with PVC-FRP tubes. Test results show that the external confinement of concrete columns by PVC-FRP tubes results in enhancing compressive strength, ductility and energy absorption capacity. A comparison between experimental and analytical results indicates that the models provide satisfactory predictions of ultimate compressive strength, failure strain and stress-strain response.