Performance in fire of FRP-strengthened and insulated reinforced concrete columns

This research investigates the fire performance of one circular and one square reinforced concrete column strengthened with a fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) wrap and covered with a unique supplemental fire protection system. An experimental full-scale fire resistance test was conducted at the National Research Council of Canada. The insulated and strengthened FRP wrapped columns were exposed to the ULC-S101 standard fire and both columns obtained fire endurance ratings of over 4 h. Details of the fire endurance experiment on both columns are described in this paper. Additionally, numerical models developed specifically for circular and square columns are validated against the experimental results.

► Circular and square concrete columns are full-scale fire tested.
► Strengthened with fibre reinforced polymer wrap and protected with a fire coating.
► Both columns withstood their sustained service load for the duration of the fire.
► Experimental temperature data is in good agreement with thermal numerical models.