Prediction of load carrying capacity of axially loaded short RC column strengthened with GFRP strips

Strengthening of RC columns using GFRP is the solution to enhance the load carrying capacity of columns. GFRP wrap glued with epoxy resin provides lateral confinement, which enhances the capacity of column. The lateral confinement pressure provided by the GFRP on circular column is uniform. But in the case of rectangular sections, the lateral confinement pressure is not uniform. Prediction of capacity of the strengthened column is needed for design purpose. The factors which affect the capacity of the GFRP wrapped column are number of layers of GFRP wrap, width of GFRP strip, area aspect ratio of column, GFRP wrap pattern, corner radius of the column etc. Developing a single expression considering all factors is a complex process. In this paper mathematical expressions are developed to estimate the capacity of the GFRP strengthened column considering various wrap patterns. The predicted ultimate load values are compared with the experimental results and also with the available literature.