Experimental study of reinforced concrete piles wrapped with fibre reinforced polymer under vertical load

ABSTRACT

This research mainly focuses on the nature of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) wrapped piles for the axial compression load. Normally, the degradation of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) structures occurred due to corrosion, inadequate quality materials, aging, live load increments, fatigue, damages and deterioration, and so forth. RCC pile foundations are commonly affected by the above reasons. So, these structures can be strengthened with suitable methods such as jacketing, stitching, overlaying, sealing, grouting, coating, Near Surface Mounted (NSM) systems, FRP wrapping, repairing, and blanketing. FRP wrapping is well suited for strengthening pile structures because of its easy application, and this method is done without using heavy tools and skilled labor. Due to its being non-metallic, FRP reinforcing has desirable properties such as high resistance to chemicals as well as heat, flexibility, large tensile strength, permeability, and also no oxidation. Thus, FRP wrapping was selected as the chosen approach for this ongoing research. In this study, we apply an axial compression load as well as a skin friction condition to a pile member that has been modified to assess its performance and behavior.

Keywords
Retrofit; FRP; Pile strengthening; Static vertical loads; Pile stiffness