Axial behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer–confined recycled aggregate concrete-filled steel tube slender square columns

Abstract

The behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)–confined recycled aggregate concrete-filled steel tube (RACFT) columns is barely studied. Especially, that of slender specimens has not been investigated so far. In this article, an experimental test of FRP-confined RACFT slender square columns was conducted to study the influences of recycled aggregate (RA) replacement ratios, FRP thicknesses, and wrapping schemes on their axial behavior. Results in this article suggest that the RA replacement ratio barely affects the initial stiffness of load-deflection curves of specimens. Moreover, the specimen with a higher RA replacement ratio has a lower axial stress but larger strain at the peak point. The external FRP jackets (either partial or full wrap) can effectively improve the performance of axially loaded RACFT columns, and the improvement of ductility due to the increase of the FRP thickness is more significant than that of axial compressive strength. Additionally, it was found that the axial strength and ultimate axial strain decrease with increasing slenderness ratios. Furthermore, the influences of slenderness ratios on the behavior of such columns are more significant for the column with a larger length-to-width ratio. Finally, a design model for FRP-confined RACFT slender square columns is developed, which can predict the results of the present test accurately.