Axial Compression Behavior of Wall-Like Reinforced Concrete Columns Retrofitted Using Different FRP Schemes

Experimental and numerical investigations on the retrofitting of half-scale wall-like reinforced concrete (RC) columns were conducted. The axial compressive behavior of the control un-strengthened wall-like RC column (having a section aspect ratio of four) was compared with the strengthened columns. The columns were strengthened by employing external confinement through fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) wraps and/or steel/FRP strips with/without modification of the column cross-section. The characteristics of axial load versus displacement and strain curves were discussed. The experimental results were also compared with the numerical models, which were first validated against the previous studies. A reasonably close agreement was achieved between the numerical and the test results with an error in prediction of less than 10% for the peak load. With the different schemes used for confinement, the enhancement in the load capacity of strengthened columns was in the range of 30–42% of the control column. In addition, significant ductility improvements were seen in schemes that employed the FRP wraps after shape modification.