FLEXURAL STRENGTHENING OF RC COLUMNS WITH NEAR SURFACE MOUNTED FRP OR STAINLESS STEEL REINFORCEMENT:EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

摘要

The paper presents the results of a comprehensive experimental program aiming to provide a fundamental understanding of the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns under simulated seismic loading, strengthened in flexure (of crucial importance in capacity design) with different types and configurations of near-surface mounted (NSM) reinforcing materials. The role of various parameters, such as carbon or glass fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) versus stainless steel, configuration and amount of NSM reinforcement, confinement via local jacketing and type of bonding agent, is examined, by comparison of the lateral load versus displacement response characteristics. The results demonstrate that NSM FRP and stainless steel reinforcement is a viable solution towards enhancing the flexural resistance of reinforced concrete columns subjected to seismic loads. This is especially the case when the retrofitting scheme combines epoxy-bonded NSM bars with local confining jackets, provided in this study with textile-reinforced mortars (TRM).