Confinement effectiveness of rectangular concrete-filled FRP tubes

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the confinement effectiveness of concrete-filled rectangular FRP tubes (CFFTs). The tubes were designed using special confinement arrangements to improve the inherently low confinement effectiveness of rectangular tubes and were tested under axial compression. The confinement arrangements included the use of an internal FRP panel integrally built with the tube and the local strengthening of the tube corners. The performances of the columns were evaluated using the experimentally recorded load-axial deformation relationships. The results of the experimental investigation indicate that the special confinement arrangements considered in this study lead to a significant increase in the confinement effectiveness of rectangular FRP tubes.