ASSESSMENT OF CORNER RADIUS BY USING GLASS FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER IN CONCRETE

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental and analytical results of the study carried out to investigate the influence of the corner radius of the cross-section on the strength of small scale square concrete column specimens confined with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite laminates. The experimental part of the study was achieved by testing 48 specimens under uniaxial compression. Depending on the selected radius of the edges. The sharpest square specimens had a corner radius of 5mm, 15mm, and 25mm to make composite application easier and to avoid a premature rupture of the composite. The result show that smoothening the edges of square cross-section plays a significant role in delaying the rupture of FRP composite at these edges, and the efficiency of FRP confinement is directly related to the radius of cross-section edges. A modified analytical model is presented to predict the strength of FRP-confined square sections. The predicted results are found to be in excellent agreement with the measured ones.