Comparative experimental analysis on the compressive behaviour of masonry columns strengthened by FRP, BFRCM or steel wires

Abstract In the last decade, several studies have investigated the application of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wraps to masonry piers in order to provide a confinement effect and enhance compressive strength and ductility. Although this technique has proved to be quite effective, various drawbacks arise when organic resins are used to bind fibres. To solve these problems, different techniques have been developed to be used as alternative methods for enhancing the structural performances of weak masonry columns. Among these, the use of Basalt Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (BFRCM) wrapping, or the application of steel wires at mortar joints. This paper presents the results of an expe…

RC column externally strengthened with RC jackets

In this paper the behaviour in compression of RC columns externally strengthened with concrete jacketing is analysed and a cross-section analysis of the jacketed member under axial load and bending moment is developed. The focus was to study the effect of confinement of concrete jacket on concrete core and the behaviour of compressed bars with buckling effects. Some other important aspects such as shrinkage, creep, old to new concrete surfaces and bond split effects were not included in the model because: the use of thick non-shrink grout jacket and a well-roughened surface of old-to-new concrete was supposed; long term effects were included though corrective coefficients for monolithic beh…

Behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete columns under axially and eccentrically compressive loads

An experimental investigation into the behavior of 16 short, confined, reinforced concrete columns with and without steel fibers was carried out. The columns with square sections had a concrete core 165 x 165 mm (6.49 x 6.49 in.) at the midsection and were hunched at the ends to apply eccentric loading and prevent boundary effects. The specimens were tested to failure at different strain rates under two loading schemes: concentric compression and eccentric compression with a constant eccentricity. The axial load and axial strains were obtained to evaluate the effects of the presence of steel fibers, the thickness of the cover concrete, and the eccentricity of the applied axial load. The com…

A Theoretical Model to Evaluate the Compressive Behaviour of RС Jacketed Columns

Reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing is becoming increasingly common among the different retrofit techniques for poor RC members, due to its economical and practical advantages. Experimental investigations in the literature have shown that the actual axial capacity of RC jacketed members can be substantially lower than that analytically evaluated by adapting the most common theoretical models for confined concrete. This fact can be explained by taking into account the presence of tensile stresses developing in the concrete, due to a mutual interaction between the inner core and the external jacket. This phenomenon is relevant especially in members where the concrete properties of the jacket a…

Effects of confinement level, cross-section shape and corner radius on the cyclic behavior of CFRCM confined concrete columns

Abstract The main results of an experimental research aiming to investigate the behavior of medium-size low-strength concrete columns wrapped with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (CFRCM) under monotonic and cyclic compressive axial loads are presented. Thirty columns with circular, square and rectangular cross-sections were tested under monotonic and cyclic axial loads to investigate the effect of the confinement level, the cross-section shape and the corner radius on the stiffness, strength, and ductility of CFRCM confined concrete columns under cyclic loads. The results prove that CFRCM confining jackets provide substantial gain in compressive strength, deformability and absor…

Effect of steel collars on the seismic behaviour of axially-cracked historical stone columns

Granite and heavy stone circular columns could often be found in the cultural heritage among ancient churches and historical buildings in all the Mediterranean area. Their good strength properties allow them to carry big load values, while their bright colours and aesthetical characteristics were used by a lot of architects in the past to achieve structural solutions with great visual impact.Though such materials have great compressive strength values, environmental effects, especially long term effects, can damage the structural members, by cracking them. In this way the slenderness of the column increases, and the presence of an imposed ground motion can be very dangerous, since the colum…

Infilled frames: Developments in the evaluation of cyclic behaviour under lateral loads

In order to consider the modified seismic response of framed structures in the presence of masonry infills, proper models have to be formulated. Because of the complexity of the problem, a careful definition of an equivalent diagonal pin-jointed strut, able to represent the horizontal force-interstorey displacement cyclic law of the actual infill, may be a solution. In this connection the present paper, continuing a previous work in which a generalised criterion for the determination of the ideal cross-section of the equivalent strut was formulated, analizes some models known in literature for the prediction of the lateral cyclic behaviour discussing their field of validity. As a support of…

Influence of steel reinforcements on the behavior of compressed high strength R.C. circular columns

Abstract In the present paper the focus is on the compressive response of short high strength reinforced concrete members having circular transverse cross-sections and reinforced with longitudinal steel bars and transverse spirals or hoops. An analytical model is proposed which allows one to estimate the confinement pressures exerted by transverse steel and by longitudinal bars during the loading process, taking into account the interaction of the hoops or spirals with the inner core both in the plane of the transverse steel and in the space between two successive hoops. Yielding of steel spirals or hoops and longitudinal bars including buckling phenomena and damage to the concrete core are…

Experimental and analytical out-of-plane behaviour of calcarenite masonry walls

Infilled frames: Influence of vertical load on the equivalent diagonal strut model

The influence of masonry infills on framed structures behaviour is a central topic in the seismic design procedures and in the hazard evaluation of existing buildings. Many models use equivalent strut elements in order to represent the infill but among the several parameters influencing the interaction between frame and infill the level of vertical loads is hardly considered. Nevertheless, neglecting this effect may produce inaccuracy because the axial deformations of the loaded columns can produce non-negligible variation in the contact region between infill and surrounding frame, influencing the seismic response of the infilled frame. It can easily been observed that, when this regions ex…

Analisi teorico-sperimentale del comportamento flessionale di colonne in calcestruzzo fibrorinforzato

Experimental Investigation on the Compressive Behaviour of Clay Brick Masonry Columns Confined by BFRP or Steel Wires

This paper presents the results of an experimental research aiming to investigate on the compressive behavior of full size clay brick masonry columns reinforced with Basalt Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (BFRCM) or with steel wires collaring. Uniaxial compressive tests were performed on eight retrofitted columns and four control specimens. Two masonry strength were considered by varying the mortar grade. Results are presented and discussed in terms of axial stress-strain relationships, failure modes and crack patterns of the specimens tested up to failure. For the limit of investigated variables, comparisons with unreinforced specimens show the ability of these alternative techniques …

Simplified Analytical Model for Compressed High-Strength Columns Confined by Transverse Steel and Longitudinal Bars

Analisi sperimentale del comportamento flessionale di colonne in calcestruzzo fibrorinforzato

Effect of vertical loads on lateral response of infilled frames

Compressive behaviour of concrete elliptical columns confined by single hoops

The compressive behaviour of short concrete members having elliptical cross-sections and confined with single steel hoops is investigated. An analytical model is given for calculation of the stress-strain curves of compressed members also including the valuation of the ultimate stress corresponding to formation of a complete failure plane in the concrete core. The model is able to evaluate the confining pressure due to steel hoops referring to a fictitious reduced area of the confined core and to the effective stresses in the hoops, which are variable along the perimeter; moreover, it makes it possible to determine the maximum compressive strength and the corresponding strain of the confine…

Infilled frames: developments in the evaluation of the stiffening effect of infills

In order to consider the modified seismic response of framed structures in the presence of masonry infills, proper models have to be formulated. Because of the complexity of the problem, a careful definition of a diagonal pin-jointed strut, able to represent the horizontal force-interstorey displacement cyclic law of the actual infill, may be a solution. In this connection the present paper shows a generalized criterion for the determination of the ideal cross-section of the strut mentioned before. The procedure is based on the equivalence between the lateral stiffness of the actual infilled frame scheme during the conventional elastic stage of the response and the lateral stiffness of the …

Modeling of out-of-plane behavior of masonry walls

The flexural behavior of rectangular masonry sections is investigated by considering nonlinear stress-strain in compression and limited-tension material. A preliminary analysis shows that, with variation in the parameters specializing with the adopted conventional constitutive law, the experimentally observed behavior of different kinds of masonry materials can be approximated. Subsequently, moment-curvature dimensionless curves are derived numerically by satisfying the equilibrium equations of the section. In the case of negligible tensile strength these curves exhibit a typical shape that can be approximated by analytical expressions; consequently, suitable functions are proposed that are…

Stability analysis of clay brick masonry columns: numerical aspects and modelling strategies

Stability analysis of masonry piers and columns is one of the most frequently treated subjects in the field of structural engineering. This attention is probably due to the challenge to solving the problem including different effects, which play an important role in evaluating the response of eccentrically-loaded columns. In this connection, accurate stability analysis of masonry piers and columns has to take into account the non-linear stress–strain law of masonry in compression, the limited tensile strength, the induced slenderness due to crack formation and geometrical non-linearity. Different theoretical models and numerical approaches were developed in the past to analyze the combined …

Comportamento flessionale di colonne in calcestruzzo fibrorinforzato

Modelling load-transmission mechanisms in axially loaded RC columns retrofitted with steel jackets

The use of steel jacketing technique is a common practice for retrofitting existing reinforced concrete (RC) columns, as it allows increasing load-carrying capacity and ductility of the member. When the external jacket has no-end connections – i.e. the jacket is indirectly loaded- the load sustained by the column is transferred from the inner RC core to the external jacket through shear stresses along the contact surface. The assessment of this mechanism is quite complex, due to the marked non-linear behaviour of constituent materials and to the calibration of a proper shear stress-relative slip constitutive law of the concrete-to-steel interface. In this paper, a step-by-step analytical ap…

Steel fibre and transverse reinforcement effects on the behaviour of high strength concrete beams

An experimental program was carried out to investigate the influence of fibre reinforcement on the mechanical behaviour of high strength reinforced concrete beams. Eighteen beams, loaded in fourpoint bending tests, were examined by applying monotonically increasing controlled displacements and recording the response in terms of load-deflection curves up to failure. The major test variables were the volume fraction of steel fibres and the transverse steel amount for two different values of shear span. The contribution of the stirrups to the shear strength was derived from the deformations of their vertical legs, measured by means of strain gauges. The structural response of the tested beams …

Simplified analytical models for compressed concrete columns confined by FRP and FRCM system

In order to consider the response of concrete columns confined by FRP and FRCM system, proper models have to be formulated. In this context the present paper shows a generalized criterion for the determination of the increase in strength, in ductility and in dissipated energy for varying corner radius ratio of the cross section and fiber volumetric ratio. The procedure is based on the best fitting of several experimental data and unlike the usual empirical approaches available in the literature, the proposed technique relates the confinement effectiveness to a single parameter representative of the relative stiffness between the original concrete core and the reinforcement system. Furthermo…

Flexural behaviour of glulam timber beams reinforced with FRP cords

Abstract Glued laminated timber (glulam) is widely used as a construction material to make up lightweight and large span structures. The basic principle of this material consists in bonding together a number of layers of dimensioned timber with structural adhesives, in order to increase strength and stiffness of the member, and allowing to make up sustainable structures with great visual impact. Recent applications showed the effectiveness of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in enhancing the structural performances of glulam beams, with particular reference on their flexural and shear strength. In fact FRP reinforcements could be used to strengthen existing structures or to reduce …

An Updated Model of Equivalent Diagonal Strut for Infill Panels

Influenza del carotaggio sullo stato tensionale e deformativo di elementi compressi

Strengthening of Masonry Columns with BFRCM or with Steel Wires: An Experimental Study

Nowadays, innovative materials are more frequently adopted for strengthening historical constructions and masonry structures. The target of these techniques is to improve the structural efficiency with retrofitting methods while having a reduced aesthetical impact. In particular, the use of basalt fiber together with a cementitious matrix emerges as a new technique. This kind of fiber is obtained by basalt rock without other components, and consequently it could be considered a natural material, compatible with masonry. Another innovative technique for strengthening masonry columns consists of applying steel wires in the correspondence of mortar joints. Both techniques have been recently pr…

Analytical prediction of ultimate moment and curvature of RC rectangular sections in compression

This paper presents closed form expressions linking the ultimate bearing capacity to the ultimate curvature of rectangular RC sections subjected to axial load and bending moment acting in one of the two symmetry planes of the section. With respect to possible simplified formulations the following effects are also considered: confinement of the concrete, hardening of the longitudinal reinforcement, and presence of reinforcing bars distributed orthogonally to the neutral axis. The formulation is proposed in dimensional terms after a preliminary definition of the geometrical and mechanical parameters governing the structural response of the class of sections considered. The analytical expressi…

An Analytical Step-by-Step Procedure to Derive the Flexural Response of RC Sections in Compression

This paper proposes an analysis procedure able to determine the flexural response of rectangular symmetrically reinforced concrete sections subjected to axial load and uniaxial bending. With respect to the usual numerical approaches, based on the fibre decomposition method, this procedure is based on the use of analytical expressions of the contributions to the equilibrium given by the longitudinal reinforcement and the concrete region in compression, which depend on the neutral axis depth and the curvature at each analysis step. The formulation is developed in dimensionless terms, after a preliminary definition of the geometrical and mechanical parameters involved, so that the results are …

Numerical Calibration of a Simplified Model for FRP Confinement of Columns

This paper presents the calibration of a simplified analytical model for concrete columns confined by fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets. The model allows evaluating the increase of strength, ductility and dissipated energy without defining the lateral confinement pressure and it can be easily extended for the assessment of FRP confinement in design applications. This model was obtained by a simplified procedure based on the best fit of experimental data available in the literature and the coefficient of determination (R2) was evaluated in order to estimate the accuracy of the regression analysis. A numerical database resulting from finite element (FE) analyses was compiled and reported…

Il comportamento sismico dei telai tamponati

Dimensionless analysis of RC rectangular sections under axial load and biaxial bending

This paper proposes a numerical procedure able to provide ultimate curvature and moment domains of rectangular RC sections subjected to combined axial load and biaxial bending. The formulation is carried out in dimensionless terms in order to give results that are valid for classes of sections characterized by the same values of the geometric and mechanical parameters governing the section response. The role of some of these parameters is investigated here. The results show possible correlations linking the actual values of moment and curvature to the values corresponding to two cases of uniaxial bending to be considered separately. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Resistenza e duttilità di colonne compresse in calcestruzzo ad alta resistenza