Efficacy of GFRP Wraps on Rehabilitation of Corrosion-Damaged HSC Columns
Dr. J. Revathy, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, B.S.Abdur Rahman University, Chennai Dr.A.Leema Rose, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Adhiparasakthi Engineering College, Melmaruvathur Dr.K.Suguna and Dr.P.N. Raghunath, Professor of Structural Engineering, Department of Structural Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar.
Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete is considered to be the major cause of deterioration in civil infrastructure facilities. This article presents the results of a comprehensive experimental investigation carried out to study the effect of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) wrapped high strength concrete (HSC) columns subjected to various levels of corrosion. The columns tested for this investigation were 150 mm in diameter and 900 mm in height. The columns were subjected to an accelerated corrosion inducing 10% and 25% corrosion-damaged levels. The corroded columns were wrapped with different configurations of glass fibre reinforced polymer namely Woven Rovings (WR) and Unidirectional Cloth (UDC) of 3 mm and 5 mm thicknesses. The columns were then tested under uni-axial compression till failure. The test results show a marked enhancement in ultimate strength by 39% and ductility by 123%. The strength and ductility of the GFRP confined corrosion-damaged columns increase with increasing wrap thickness.