Seismic Behavior of GFRP-RC Circular Bridge Columns under Eccentric Lateral Cyclic Loading: Influence of Transverse Reinforcement Ratio and Configuration
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 12
Abstract
This study focused on evaluating the confinement requirements for glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement in circular reinforced concrete (RC) columns subjected to seismic forces, including torsional effects. Seven large-scale GFRP-RC columns were tested under axial and quasi-static cyclic lateral loading. The test parameters included torsion-to-bending moment ratio (tm) and transverse reinforcement spacing and configuration (spiral and hoops). The experimental results revealed that introducing torsion to the loading scheme reduced the lateral load resistance and drift capacity of the columns. The study recommends adopting a spiral pitch equal to one-sixth of the effective core diameter, as per the Canadian provisions for FRP-RC structures. This spiral pitch significantly enhanced peak lateral load, torque, drift, and twist capacities while ensuring column stability at high drift ratios and preventing complex modes of failure under seismic loading, including torsion. The GFRP spirally reinforced columns consistently surpassed the drift threshold requirements specified by the Canadian provisions for FRP-RC structures. In contrast, hoop-reinforced columns failed at lower drifts, with a notable lap-splice failure observed in columns under tm of 0.4. It was concluded that using GFRP hoops with a lap splice length of 40 times the bar diameter is inadequate for columns subjected to seismic conditions with torsional effects.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and codes generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge and express their sincere appreciation for the financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF). The authors also thank Pultrall Inc. for providing the GFRP reinforcement and acknowledge the assistance provided by the technical staff of the McQuade Structures Laboratory at the University of Manitoba.
Author contributions: Yasser M. Selmy: Writing—original draft, Investigation, Methodology, Formal analysis, Validation, Investigation; Ehab F. El-Salakawy: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing—review and editing, Supervision, Project administration, Resources, Funding acquisition.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- AFℓ
- area of the longitudinal GFRP bars;
- Ag
- gross cross-sectional area of the column;
- Di
- actuator eccentric distance from the column longitudinal axis;
- dh
- nominal cross-sectional diameter of the hoop;
- Ed-b
- bending-shear accumulative dissipated energy;
- Ed-t
- torsional accumulative dissipated energy;
- specified concrete compressive strength;
- KΔ
- bending-shear stiffness;
- Kφ
- torsional stiffness;
- k
- stiffness factor;
- L
- column shear span;
- Po
- nominal unconfined axial capacity;
- Pp
- peak lateral load;
- T
- torque;
- tm
- torsion-to-bending moment;
- α1
- ratio of average stress in the rectangular compression block;
- δP+ve
- peak drift ratio in the pushing direction;
- δP-ve
- peak drift ratio in the pulling direction;
- δu+ve
- ultimate drift ratio in the pushing direction;
- δu-ve
- ultimate drift ratio in the pulling direction;
- Δ1,2,3
- string pots lateral displacements readings;
- Δactuator
- applied actuator displacement/drift;
- ρf
- Longitudinal reinforcement ratio;
- φ
- twist angle of the columns; and
- ϕc
- abmaterial resistance factor for concrete.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 12 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 13, 2024
Accepted: Aug 5, 2024
Published online: Oct 4, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Mar 4, 2025
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