Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are environment-friendly materials, which are always used in decoration engineering and outdoor engineering. However, WPCs cannot be directly used as bearing structural members especially columns for their poor tensile and compressive properties and great creep under long-term loading. This study presented an innovative approach of using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) to reinforce PVC-based glued WPCs short columns. Three effective reinforcement methods were proposed: embedding GFRP bars, wrapping GFRP sheets around the outer surface, and GFRP bars and sheets compound reinforcement. Axial compression tests were conducted to evaluate the load-bearing capacity and deformability of the columns. The results showed that the outer GFRP sheets effectively inhibited the cracking of adhesive layers, leading to a remarkable enhancement in ductility and stiffness of the WPCs columns. Moreover, the ultimate bearing capacity of GFRP bars/sheets compound reinforced columns increased by over 140%. Finite element (FE) analysis was employed to investigate the influence of GFRP reinforcement methods, aiming to obtain the optimal design solution of WPCs columns. A theoretical formula was established to calculate the axial compressive capacity of GFRP-reinforced WPCs columns, and its accuracy was validated through experimental tests and FE modeling.
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