As the global demand for carbon reduction and sustainability increases, the construction industry is also seeking durable and eco-friendly materials. Conventional reinforced concrete (RC) structures are challenged by durability issues due to steel cor...
As the global demand for carbon reduction and sustainability increases, the construction industry is also seeking durable and eco-friendly materials. Conventional reinforced concrete (RC) structures are challenged by durability issues due to steel corrosion, and the price volatility of steel reinforcement makes uncertainty into construction cost estimation. In this context, Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforcement is being studied as an alternative, offering advantages such as corrosion resistance, light weight, high strength, and self-centering performance. However, current design codes restrict the use of GFRP reinforcement in seismic force-resisting systems due to the brittle behavior and low elastic modulus.
This study aimed to evaluate the seismic performance of concrete columns with GFRP and steel-GFRP hybrid reinforcement systems. The research encompassed from the material level to full-scale member level tests. First, to ensure the reliability of the tensile properties of GFRP bars, current testing standards were analyzed and tensile tests were performed. Cyclic lateral loading tests were then conducted on column specimens to analyze their seismic performance. The test parameters included the type and ratio of longitudinal reinforcement (GFRP, steel-GFRP hybrid, steel), the type of transverse reinforcement (GFRP spiral, steel spiral), and the spacing of the transverse reinforcement.
At the material level, using an epoxy-sand mixture as an anchor filler material was effective for preventing premature failure and inducing tensile rupture of the GFRP bars. It was also found that the current code's method for calculating tensile strength can underestimate the actual tensile performance. At the member level, contrary to the restrictions in the codes, columns with GFRP longitudinal bars showed excellent ductile behavior, with low residual deformation and good self-centering performance. The hybrid-RC columns showed excellent deformation and energy dissipation capacity while showing smaller residual deformation compared to steel columns, thus achieving a balanced seismic performance in terms of strength, ductility, and self-centering. Furthermore, GFRP spirals, despite their lower elastic modulus, can provide an effective concrete confinement equivalent to that of steel spirals due to their high ultimate strength.
Based on these results, this study proposed a model for the strength and deformation capacity of columns with GFRP reinforcement, considering the concrete confinement effect and characteristics of GFRP bars. The proposed model improves upon the underestimation problem of current design codes and predicts the experimental strength more accurately.
In conclusion, this study validates that GFRP-reinforced columns can be an alternative to conventional reinforced concrete columns for structures where post-damage repair and reusability are important, and that the hybrid reinforcement system is a practical detail that satisfies both high seismic performance and serviceability. The proposed performance prediction models are expected to be used as reference data for performance-based seismic design for concrete columns using GFRP reinforcement.