Ultimate behavior of axially loaded RC wall-like columns confined with GFRP

The assessment of the effectiveness of the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) confinement on rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns with high aspect ratio (wall-like) still represents an unresolved issue. The present paper aims at providing more experimental evidence about the behavior of such members confined with both uni-directional and quadri-directional glass FRP laminates. Particular attention is devoted to issues related to the premature failure of confining fibers experimentally observed in wall-like columns. Test results on nine axially loaded columns are herein presented; emphasis is also given to the analysis of FRP strain profiles along the sides of the cross-section. The analysis of test results highlights that glass FRP (GFRP) confinement could determine significant strength and ductility increases; the discussion of failure modes points out that the failure of GFRP confined wall-like columns is controlled by the shape of the cross-section and occurs at transverse strains in the jacket much lower than those ultimate of the fibers. Theoretical–experimental comparisons are performed using some available models for strength prediction of such members.