Numerical simulation on seismic retrofitting performance of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with fibre reinforced polymer sheets

This paper evaluates the seismic performance of reinforced concrete columns retrofitted with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets through numerical simulations of the load-deformation response using two-dimensional finite element analysis (2D-FEA). The relatively rational mesh configuration is verified through comparison of analysis results obtained from the different mesh configurations. The seismic performance of three reinforced concrete (RC) columns strengthened with FRP sheets is assessed through a series of parametric studies, and the applicability of existing crack models and constitutive relationships on crack discontinuity and concrete compressive behaviour are validated. Comparisons of analysis results with tests shows that an equivalent uniaxial strain model and a failure criterion can be used to accurately simulate nonlinear behaviour and the failure of concrete under a biaxial stress state, respectively. Moreover, it is shown that a modified confinement model can be simply adopted to evaluate confined effects from hoop steel and FRP on concrete, which generally operate in three-dimensional confinement. Lastly, the seismic retrofitting performance of RC columns wrapped with FRP sheets is verified by analysing load-deformation responses and the progression of stress-strain at inflection points and bottoms of the columns.