Experimental Investigation of Square RC Column Strengthened with Near Surface Mounted GFRP Bars Subjected to Axial and Cyclic lateral Loads

This article is intended to highlight the effectiveness of longitudinal Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars in combination with GFRP sheets on the flexural capacity of Reinforced Concrete (RC) columns. Seven half-scale RC columns including five strengthened and two control unstrengthened specimens were experimentally tested under axial and cyclic lateral loads. The strengthened columns with two different longitudinal GFRP bar ratios were tested under three different axial load levels. The flexural strength and ductility parameters of the specimens were calculated by obtaining their deformations and measuring the loads from load cells. The experimental results indicate significant increase in the flexural strength of the RC specimens. The results of this study can be reliably utilized to enhance the flexural strength of RC columns in the regions with high seismicity.