An experimental study on the effect of environmental exposures and corrosion on RC columns with FRP composite jackets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions on the long-term behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets. Small-scale RC columns were manufactured in the laboratory and conditioned under accelerated environmental cycling and accelerated corrosion process of reinforcing bars. Then, uni-axial compressive failure tests were conducted in order to evaluate the change of mechanical properties of the test columns due to the environmental effects. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of RC column system (RC + FRP) were altered due to the environmental conditioning and the corrosion of steel reinforcement, and each type of environmental conditions had its unique effects and features.