Shape Effects on the Behavior of Hybrid FRP–Strengthened

Rectangular RC Columns under Axial Compression

Balla Taraka Malleswara Rao1 and S. Suriya Prakash, A.M.ASCE2
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Abstract: Confinement with external bonding (EB) of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is effective for improving the perfor-
mance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns under axial compression. However, EB confinement is less effective for sections with a side
aspect (width/depth) ratio of more than 2. Thus, a hybrid FRP strengthening technique that combines the advantages of EB and near-
surface mounting (NSM) of carbon FRP (CFRP) laminates was explored. Twenty-four rectangular RC columns of different aspect ratios
(b/d = 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0) were strengthened and tested under axial compression to investigate the effect of shape on the efficiency of hybrid
FRP strengthening. Two specimens each for control, EB confinement, NSM, and hybrid FRP strengthening were tested at each aspect ratio
to decouple the interaction effects in hybrid FRP strengthening. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element (FE) analysis was conducted
using commercially available software. Three-dimensional FE models of different RC columns of varying aspect ratios were created with
EB confinement, NSM, and hybrid FRP strengthening and were analyzed. FE models were validated with test results and subsequently
used for parametric study. A detailed parametric investigation on the effect of the hybrid combination of a varying NSM ratio (0.4%–1.6%)
and a constant EB confinement ratio was studied. Both experimental and FE results indicated that the efficiency of confinement reduces
with an increase in the aspect ratio. The hybrid FRP technique was effective in improving both the axial strength and ductility of columns
with large aspect ratios. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0001152. © 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: RC column; Shape effect; Aspect ratio; EB confinement; NSM; Hybrid FRP strengthening and axial compression.

Introduction Typically, building columns are noncircular and rectilinear. The

Reinforced concrete (RC) columns are critical structural elements
in bridges and buildings, and their failure can lead to complete
structural collapse. The strengthening of RC columns is required
in various scenarios such as (1) seismic strengthening; (2) rectify
errors/defects made in structural design and execution; (3) dam-
age from corrosion; (4) damage from accidental loading; and
(5) additional load-carrying requirements. The fiber-reinforced
polymer (FRP) strengthening of concrete members is widely used
in the last three decades. FRP strengthening has numerous advan-
tages over conventional methods such as concrete and steel jacket-
ing (Chai et al. 1994). External bonding (EB) confinement of FRP
fabric is effective for RC circular columns under compression
(Mirmiran and Shahawy 1997; Spoelstra and Monti 1999; Campione
and Miraglia 2003; Hadi 2006). The geometry of the circular cross
section induces uniform confinement over the entire cross section
(Bisby et al. 2005; Parvin and Jamwal 2005, 2006; Matthys et al.
2006; Wu et al. 2009). Due to this, FRP confinement increases
both strength and ductility of the RC circular columns under axial
compression (Lam and Teng 2003a; Hu et al. 2011; Abdelrahman
and El-Hacha 2012; Wu and Jiang 2013).
1
Research Scholar, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Tech-
nology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India. ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3770-690X. Email: ce18resch11004@iith.ac.in
2
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India (corresponding au-
thor). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0319-1773. Email: suriyap@ce
.iith.ac.in
Note. This manuscript was submitted on January 8, 2021; approved
on June 11, 2021; published online on August 3, 2021. Discussion period
open until January 3, 2022; separate discussions must be submitted for in-
dividual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Composites for Con-
struction, © ASCE, ISSN 1090-0268.
effectiveness of FRP confinement is reduced for noncircular mem-
bers due to the presence of sharp corners (Mirmiran et al. 1998;
Lam and Teng 2003b; Jiang and Teng 2007). The effective confine-
ment stress in the noncircular sections varies in a parabolic manner
from a maximum at the corners to a minimum between the edges
[Fig. 1(a)] (Al-Salloum 2007; Wang and Wu 2008; Toutanji et al.
2010; Wu and Wei 2010; De Luca et al. 2011). Lam and Teng
(2003a) studied the effect of confinement provided by the FRP
and proposed a design-oriented stress–strain model for a circular
cross section. Later, they also investigated the FRP confinement ef-
fect on the rectangular cross section (Lam and Teng 2003b; Jiang
and Teng 2007). They noted that the confinement effectiveness re-
duced with an increase in the aspect ratio (Fig. 1) because the
effective confinement area (Aeff) reduces with an increase in the
aspect ratio. The effective confinement area shown in Fig. 1(b)
was calculated based on Lam and Teng (2003b). The stress–strain
responses shown in Fig. 1(b) were calculated based on the approach
proposed by Lam and Teng (2003a). In the calculations, the width
(b) of the cross section is taken as 150 mm with similar sectional de-
tails of the column specimens tested in this study. Two layers of EB
confinement were considered to observe the effect of the aspect
ratio. ACI 440.2R-17 (ACI 2017) does not recommend accounting
for the beneficial effects of EB confinement for columns with an as-
pect ratio greater than 2.0 and for those with face dimensions of
more than 900 mm.
Several researchers have investigated the shape effect on RC
columns with and without FRP confinement and proposed different
confinement models. Mander et al. (1988) proposed a theoretical
confinement stress–strain model for concrete confined with internal
transverse reinforcement based on the energy balance approach.
They also proposed the effective confinement coefficients along
the length of the column for rectangular cross sections to account
for the variation of confinement. Mirmiran et al. (1998) studied
the effect of external confinement due to FRP strengthening and

© ASCE 04021042-1 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 (a)
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
(b)
Fig. 1. Shape effects on FRP confinement: (a) variation in effective confinement area (Aeff); and (b) confined stress–strain curves.
found that the confinement effect in rectangular sections is less ef-
fective than in circular sections. Adebar and Lorzadeh (2012)
studied the effect of thin-walled cross sections on compression be-
havior. They noted that the thin-walled cross sections without any
lateral ties behaved similarly to thin columns with a higher aspect
ratio and no internal links. The thin-walled cross sections failed
suddenly at the ultimate compressive strain of around 0.0015.
Yeh and Chang (2004) studied the size and shape effects on RC
rectangular columns strengthened with FRP confinement and
found that the confinement effect decreases with an increase in as-
pect ratio. Prota et al. (2006) studied the ultimate behavior of
GFRP-confined wall-like columns under axial loading. They ob-
served that the strength and ductility improved significantly with
the use of two layers of unidirectional fabric. Prota et al. (2006) fur-
ther observed that the geometrical imperfections do not signifi-
cantly change the strength and failure of FRP confined columns
compared to the RC control columns. De Luca et al. (2013) studied
the wall-like RC columns confined with GFRP laminates. They
observed that the maximum compressive stress in the wall-like
columns is 80% of the cylindrical compressive strength and that
confinement is effective only for improving ductility. Previous
studies showed that the FRP confinement effect in noncircular
cross sections is significantly reduced with an increase in the aspect
ratio. Vuggumudi and Alagusundaramoorthy (2018a, b) investi-
gated the effect of a larger aspect ratio on the FRP-strengthened
RC columns and proposed the semiempirical formula for calculat-
ing the axial load–moment interaction diagram. Gao et al. (2021)
studied the effect of corner radius on the performance of FRP
© ASCE 04021042-2
J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042
confined RC columns and observed that the efficiency increases
with an increase in the corner radius in the small-scale columns.
However, the influence of the corner radius reduces for the large-
sized columns with a side length of more than 350 mm.
Different innovative FRP strengthening techniques have been em-
ployed in the past to overcome the disadvantages of the EB confine-
ment technique in improving the performance of rectangular cross
sections (Olivova and Bilcik 2009; Alsayed et al. 2014; Triantafillou
et al. 2016; Chellapandian et al. 2017; Janwaen et al. 2019, 2020;
Zeng et al. 2021). Alsayed et al. (2014) observed a significant im-
provement in the performance of CFRP wrapped wall-like RC col-
umns after modifying them into the elliptical shape. Triantafillou
et al. (2016) experimentally investigated the role of anchors, the
addition of CFRP layers near the corners in the circumferential di-
rection, and shape enlargement to improve the efficiency of the
FRP confinement for wall-like columns. Janwaen et al. (2019,
2020) improved the performance of FRP confinement for rectan-
gular RC columns by prestressing the FRP jacket using a mechan-
ical device. Zeng et al. (2021) implemented the shape modification
before FRP wrapping the large-scale rectangular RC column
through the section curvilinearization (SC) technique along with
the variation in rise-to-span and corner radius ratios. The use of
heavy anchors and the near-surface mounting (NSM) technique
is very effective in improving the flexural capacity (Barros et al.
2008; Abdallah et al. 2020). However, the NSM technique is not
effective under axial compression as the contribution from NSM
reinforcement is not significant due to the failure of concrete at
low strain values (0.3%–0.4%). The hybrid FRP strengthening
J. Compos. Constr.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 2. Details of hybrid FRP strengthening: (a) schematics; and (b) field implementation for a concrete shear wall.

[Fig. 2(a)] using the combination of EB confinement and the NSM
technique has been attempted (Chellapandian et al. 2018, 2019b, c;
Chellapandian and Prakash 2019). In the hybrid FRP technique,
the EB fabric provides confinement to the concrete and prevents
the premature buckling of NSM reinforcement by providing lateral
support. Thus, the NSM contribution in the hybrid FRP strength-
ening technique can be much higher when compared to only NSM
strengthening due to the increase in the ultimate strain of concrete
at failure.
Chellapandian et al. (2017) studied the effectiveness of the
hybrid FRP strengthening technique for square columns (aspect
ratio = 1) under axial compression. They found the hybrid
strengthening technique to improve the strength and ductility
compared to only EB or the NSM strengthening technique. Shin
et al. (2019) conducted a seismic mobile shaker test on a full-scale
retrofitted RC building with the hybrid FRP strengthening techni-
que. They noted that the hybrid FRP strengthening is effective in
improving the ductile performance of RC columns. Hybrid FRP
strengthening is being used in field applications for increasing
the axial compression and bending capacity of the concrete
shear walls (b/d > 4) [Fig. 2(b)]. However, only minimal informa-
tion is available on the behavior of FRP-strengthened columns/
wall elements with large aspect ratios. Thus, it is essential to
fully understand the influence of shape effect on the effectiveness
of hybrid FRP strengthening before its widespread use in field
applications.
Research Motivation and Objectives
Rectangular RC columns are common in buildings and bridges
with a high aspect ratio. Most of the current research work fo-
cused on understanding the effectiveness of FRP confinement
on circular (Spoelstra and Monti 1999; Campione and Miraglia
2003; Lam and Teng 2003a; Hadi 2006; Wu and Jiang 2013)
and noncircular RC columns (Lam and Teng 2003b; Al-Salloum

© ASCE 04021042-3 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 Table 1. Column specimen details
Aspect ratio of Longitudinal Transverse NSM laminate ratio
SI. no. Specimen no. column (b/h) reinforcement reinforcement EB (no. of layers) (% of cross-sectional area)
1 RC_150_150 1.0 4–10 mm dia. 8 mm dia. — —
2 EB_150_150 @ 200 mm c/c 2 —
3 NSM_150_150 — 0.86
4 HYB_150_150 2 0.86
5 RC_150_300 2.0 8–10 mm dia. 8 mm dia. — —
6 EB_150_300 @ 140 mm c/c 2 —
7 NSM_150_300 — 0.86
8 HYB_150_300 2 0.86
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

9 RC_150_450 3.0 12–10 mm dia. 8 mm dia. — —

10 EB_150_450 @ 125 mm c/c 2 —
11 NSM_150_450 — 0.86
12 HYB_150_450 2 0.86

2007; Jiang and Teng 2007). Only a few research studies in the
past have focused on understanding the effect of shape on the ef-
ficiency of FRP confinement (Mander et al. 1988; Yeh and Chang
2004; Wu and Wei 2010). Also, only minimal work in the past
has focused on the effectiveness of hybrid FRP strengthening
of circular (Mostofinejad and Moshiri 2015; Khorramian and (a)
Sadeghian 2018) and noncircular RC columns (Olivova and
Bilcik 2009; Chellapandian et al. 2017; Janwaen et al. 2019,
2020). No previous work has focused on understanding the
shape effect on the effectiveness of hybrid FRP strengthening
under pure compression. Thus, the main objective of this study
is to understand the impact of the aspect ratio of RC columns (b)
on the effectiveness of hybrid FRP strengthening through exper-
imental and numerical investigation. The outcomes of this study
can be helpful in developing the design guidelines for hybrid
FRP strengthening, including the shape effect.

(c)
Experimental Investigation

Details of Column Specimens

Twenty-four RC columns with different aspect ratios (1, 2, and 3)
were cast. Two specimens corresponding to each aspect ratio were
used as control specimens with no FRP strengthening. The remain-
ing specimens were strengthened with EB, NSM, and hybrid FRP
techniques. The details of the column specimens are shown in
Table 1. The columns were of size 150 × 150 mm, 150 × 300 mm,
and 150 × 450 mm (Fig. 3). All the column specimens had a length
of 900 mm with a longitudinal reinforcement ratio of 1.4%. A
transverse reinforcement ratio of 1.0% was provided using
8-mm-diameter ties. No internal links were provided to limit the
major confinement effect through only EB of FRP fabric.
Material Properties
The stress–strain curves of concrete, steel reinforcement, and
CFRP laminates are shown in Fig. 4. Table 2 provides a summary
of the properties of epoxy and CFRP materials. A target cube com-
pressive strength of 25 MPa was designed per IS: 10262-09 (BIS
2009). Concrete cubes and cylinders were cast and tested to deter-
mine the compressive strength and the stress–strain response of
concrete. The concrete cube specimens were tested per IS:
516-04 (BIS 2004) and cylinders were tested per ASTM C39/
C39M-21 (ASTM 2021). The average cylindrical compressive
strength of 29.46 MPa was measured at 28 days. Coupons of
(d)
Fig. 3. Cross-sectional details of columns for the shape effect: (a) 150 ×
150 mm; (b) 150 × 300 mm; (c) 150 × 450 mm; and (d) NSM grove di-
mensions. Note: All dimensions are in mm.
steel reinforcement bars were prepared and tested per IS: 1608
(Part 1)-18 (BIS 2018). Unidirectional carbon fabric of 230
grams per square meter (GSM) having an elastic modulus of
113 GPa and a rupture strain of 1.4% was used for EB strengthen-
ing through a wet-layup process. Precured CFRP laminates of size
50 mm × 1.4 mm were used for NSM strengthening. The coupons
of CFRP laminates using wet-layup and precured NSM laminates
were prepared and tested per ASTM standards D6484/D6484M-20
(ASTM 2020) and D3039/D3039M-17 (ASTM 2017). The epoxy
materials used for strengthening were tested per IS: 4456
(Part 1)-87 (BIS 1987). Hybrid FRP strengthening of RC columns
was carried out per the recommendations of ACI 440.2R-17
(ACI 2017). In hybrid FRP strengthening, the RC columns were
first strengthened using the NSM technique followed by EB
confinement, as shown in Fig. 2(a).

© ASCE 04021042-4 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 4. Stress–strain relationship models: (a) concrete in compression; (b) concrete in tension; (c) steel reinforcement; and (d) CFRP laminates.

Table 2. Properties of steel, CFRP, and epoxy material

Tension Compressive
Flexural
Material Elastic modulus (GPa) Strength (MPa) Rupture strain (%) Elastic modulus (GPa) Strength (MPa) Strength (MPa)
EB (hand layup CFRP) 113 1,300 1.4 113 642 —
NSM (pultruded CFRP 150 2,300 1.3 135 1,400 —
laminates)
Steel 200 612 7.8 200 612 —
Primer — — — — — 55
Saturant — — — — — 33
Adhesive — — — — — 31

Instrumentation and Test Setup
The experimental setup and instrumentation for RC control and
FRP-strengthened specimens are shown in Fig. 5(a). A servocon-
trolled compression testing machine of 3,000 kN capacity was used
for the testing of the column specimens. Four linear variable displace-
ment transducers (LVDTs) were mounted on four sides of the column
in the middle third region with a gauge length of 135 mm for measur-
ing the axial deformations [Fig. 5(b)]. Two LVDTs were mounted
horizontally (perpendicular to the loading direction) on the column
face to measure the transverse displacement. The strain gauges
were installed in the steel reinforcement, NSM laminates, and EB
confinement for continuous strain monitoring. All the sensors were
connected to the data acquisition system to acquire data continuously.
Capping with cementitious material was provided at the top and bot-
tom of the surface of specimens to avoid the stress concentration and
prevent premature failure. The specimens were preloaded under three
cycles of loading and unloading for 10% of the expected peak for
removing any slack in load resistance. Subsequently, the column
specimens were tested in the displacement control mode at a rate of
2 mm/min until complete failure.
Test Results
A summary of all the test results is given in Tables 3 and 4. The fail-
ure load corresponded to a 30% decrease in load resistance from the
peak load for capturing the postpeak behavior of the columns
(Chellapandian et al. 2017). Two columns were tested for each
strengthening in each aspect ratio. The normalized load–strain curves
were plotted for a better understanding of the effectiveness of each
strengthening technique for columns with different aspect ratios.
The normalized loads were calculated by dividing the axial load
resistance with the product of the concrete strength and gross cross-
sectional area ( fc′ bd). The strains were calculated by dividing axial
deformations with the gauge length of measurement.

© ASCE 04021042-5 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a) (b)

Fig. 5. Test setup: (a) overall arrangements; and (b) details of LVDTs for deformation measurement.

Table 3. Comparison of experimental results: peak load, ductility, and strain energy
Ultimate
Normalized peak load Yield displacement displacement Ductility Strain energy

Average % Average Average % U Average U %

Column specimen P/ f ′c pd P/ f ′c pd Increase δy (mm) δy (mm) δu (mm) δu (mm) δu/δy Increase (kN · mm) (kN · mm) Increase
Aspect ratio = 1
RC_150 × 150-1 1.09 — — 0.17 — 0.39 — — — 204 — —
RC_150 × 150-2 1.15 1.12 — 0.18 0.18 0.42 0.40 2.29 — 234 219 —
EB_150 × 150-1 1.34 — — 0.20 — 1.00 — — — 757 — —
EB_150 × 150-2 1.42 1.38 23 0.22 0.21 1.13 1.06 5.13 124% 907 832 281%
NSM_150 × 150-1 1.23 — — 0.17 — 0.40 — — — 237 — —
NSM_150 × 150-2 1.11 1.17 5 0.19 0.18 0.37 0.39 2.10 −8% 184 211 −4%
HYB_150 × 150-1 1.47 — — 0.22 — 1.46 — — — 1,231 — —
HYB_150 × 150-2 1.66 1.56 40 0.25 0.23 1.28 1.37 5.87 156% 1,260 1,245 470%
Aspect ratio = 2
RC_150 × 300-1 1.08 — — 0.17 — 0.30 — — — 288 — —
RC_150 × 300-2 1.05 1.06 — 0.17 0.17 0.31 0.31 1.84 — 290 289 —
EB_150 × 300-1 1.30 — — 0.18 — 0.35 — — — 351 — —
EB_150 × 300-2 1.35 1.32 25 0.19 0.19 0.36 0.36 1.92 5% 419 385 33%
NSM_150 × 300-1 1.25 — — 0.18 — 0.31 — — — 341 — —
NSM_150 × 300-2 1.22 1.24 17 0.19 0.19 0.31 0.31 1.68 −9% 298 320 11%
HYB_150 × 300-1 1.50 — — 0.21 — 1.01 — — — 1,677 — —
HYB_150 × 300-2 1.46 1.48 40 0.22 0.22 0.86 0.93 4.33 136% 1,361 1,519 425%
Aspect ratio = 3
RC_150 × 450-1 1.05 — — 0.15 — 0.23 — — — 313 — —
RC_150 × 450-2 1.07 1.06 — 0.16 0.15 0.23 0.23 1.52 — 316 314 —
EB_150 × 450-1 1.16 — — 0.17 — 0.29 — — — 399 — —
EB_150 × 450-2 1.16 1.16 10 0.17 0.17 0.29 0.29 1.72 13% 470 434 38%
NSM_150 × 450-1 1.23 — — 0.17 — 0.25 — — — 375 — —
NSM_150 × 450-2 1.14 1.19 12 0.18 0.17 0.25 0.25 1.44 −5% 364 369 17%
HYB_150 × 450-1 1.32 — — 0.17 — 0.48 — — — 958 — —
HYB_150 × 450-2 1.24 1.28 21 0.19 0.18 0.48 0.48 2.64 74% 944 951 202%

Axial Load–Deformation Behavior
Control RC Columns
A comparison of normalized load versus strain curves for the con-
trol RC columns with different aspect ratios is shown in Fig. 6(a).
Both the strength and ultimate strain at failure of the control RC
columns reduce with an increase in the aspect ratio. The failure
of the control specimen is governed by the failure of cover con-
crete and buckling of the longitudinal bars. The effectiveness of
the tie reinforcement in preventing the buckling of rebar reduces
with an increase in the aspect ratio. It is due to an increase in
the unsupported length of ties in wider sections. A comparison

© ASCE 04021042-6 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 Table 4. Comparison of experimental results: other important parameters
© ASCE

At peak load At ultimate load At service load Strain at ultimate state

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Stress Average Stress Average Stiffness Average Tie EB FRP NSM

P/bd stress Strain Average P/bd stress Average P/δ stiffness (tensile (tensile laminate
Column specimen (MPa) (MPa) (%) strain (%) (MPa) (MPa) Strain (%) strain (%) (MN/mm) (MN/mm) Main bar (%) strain) (%) strain) (%) (%)
Aspect ratio = 1
RC_150 × 150-1 32.11 — 0.22 — 22.48 — 0.29 — 4.31 — 0.34 0.09 — —
RC_150 × 150-2 33.84 32.98 0.21 0.21 23.69 23.08 0.31 0.30 4.09 4.20
EB_150 × 150-1 39.56 — 0.19 — 27.69 — 0.74 — 4.36 — 1.03 0.26 0.27 —
EB_150 × 150-2 41.82 40.69 0.27 0.23 29.27 28.48 0.84 0.79 4.08 4.22
NSM_150 × 150-1 36.34 — 0.18 — 25.44 — 0.30 — 4.41 — 0.37 0.05 — 0.31
NSM_150 × 150-2 32.80 34.57 0.16 0.17 22.96 24.20 0.27 0.29 4.43 4.42
HYB_150 × 150-1 43.19 — 0.43 — 30.24 — 1.08 — 4.39 — 1.24 0.37 0.44 1.45
HYB_150 × 150-2 48.85 46.02 0.56 0.50 34.19 32.21 0.95 1.02 4.22 4.30
Aspect ratio = 2
RC_150 × 300-1 31.69 — 0.17 — 22.18 — 0.23 — 8.47 — 0.24 0.09 — —
RC_150 × 300-2 30.79 31.24 0.15 0.16 21.55 21.87 0.23 0.23 8.24 8.36
EB_150 × 300-1 38.17 — 0.16 — 26.72 — 0.26 — 8.40 — 0.29 0.09 0.10 —
EB_150 × 300-2 39.81 38.99 0.22 0.19 27.87 27.29 0.27 0.26 8.21 8.31
NSM_150 × 300-1 36.91 — 0.19 — 25.83 — 0.23 — 8.51 — 0.24 0.08 — 0.26
NSM_150 × 300-2 35.97 36.44 0.17 0.18 25.18 25.50 0.23 0.23 8.50 8.51
HYB_150 × 300-1 44.29 — 0.22 — 31.00 — 0.75 — 9.00 — 0.64 0.16 0.19 0.63
HYB_150 × 300-2 42.95 43.62 0.38 0.30 30.07 30.53 0.63 0.69 8.79 8.90
04021042-7

Aspect ratio = 3
RC_150 × 450-1 30.97 — 0.14 — 21.68 — 0.17 — 13.26 — 0.23 0.07 — —
RC_150 × 450-2 31.38 31.18 0.15 0.15 21.97 21.82 0.17 0.17 13.44 13.35
EB_150 × 450-1 34.19 — 0.15 — 23.93 — 0.22 — 13.69 — 0.29 0.07 0.08 —
EB_150 × 450-2 34.15 34.17 0.17 0.16 23.91 23.92 0.22 0.22 13.61 13.65
NSM_150 × 450-1 36.33 — 0.16 — 25.43 — 0.18 — 13.77 — 0.26 0.07 — 0.15
NSM_150 × 450-2 33.63 34.98 0.15 0.15 23.54 24.48 0.18 0.18 13.51 13.64
HYB_150 × 450-1 38.93 — 0.17 — 27.25 — 0.35 — 13.94 — 0.37 0.09 0.10 0.38
HYB_150 × 450-2 36.57 37.75 0.16 0.17 25.60 26.43 0.35 0.35 14.00 13.97
J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
(a)
(b)
Fig. 6. Compressive behavior of RC columns with different aspect ratios: (a) normalized load–strain; and (b) load–deformation.
of load–deformation curves of RC columns having different aspect
ratios are shown in Fig. 6(b). Due to the higher cross-sectional
area, the axial load capacity increased with an increase in aspect
ratio. A maximum difference in peak load of 5% was observed be-
tween the two specimens. Minimum variation in the observed be-
havior shows consistency in the test results.
EB-Strengthened RC Columns
The normalized load–strain curves for the EB-strengthened RC
columns of different aspect ratios are shown in Fig. 7(a). The
confinement effectiveness reduced with an increase in aspect
ratio. A reduction in strength and ductility was observed for EB-
strengthened RC columns with an increase in aspect ratio. The
strength and ultimate strain significantly improved in square col-
umns with an aspect ratio of 1 due to EB strengthening compared
to control columns. However, only a marginal improvement in
© ASCE
J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042
the ultimate strain was observed for EB-strengthened specimens
with aspect ratios of 2 and 3. A comparison of the load–deforma-
tion curves of EB-strengthened RC columns with different aspect
ratios is shown in Fig. 7(b).
NSM-Strengthened RC Columns
A comparison of normalized load–strain curves for the
NSM-strengthened RC columns of different aspect ratios is shown
in Fig. 8(a). NSM laminates act like additional longitudinal rebars
and provide a strength increase. Due to the constant NSM laminate
ratio in specimens of different aspect ratios, the strength improve-
ment from NSM strengthening was observed to be constant. Ductil-
ity reduction was observed in NSM-strengthened RC columns as
in control specimens due to the lack of external confinement,
which led to the separation of NSM laminates soon after the
crushing of concrete. A comparison of load–deformation curves of
04021042-8 J. Compos. Constr.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 7. Compressive behavior of EB-strengthened RC columns with different aspect ratios: (a) normalized load–strain; and (b) load–deformation.

NSM-strengthened RC columns of different aspect ratios is shown
in Fig. 8(b). The maximum variation between the peak load of two
specimens was within 10% for columns with different aspect ra-
tios. Although the elastic stiffness was similar in the two speci-
mens for each aspect ratio, a marginal difference between them
was observed in the postpeak regime.
Hybrid FRP-Strengthened RC Columns
A comparison of normalized load–strain curves and load–deformation
curves for the hybrid FRP-strengthened RC columns having different
aspect ratios is shown in Figs. 9(a and b), respectively. Strength and
ductility reduction was evident for hybrid FRP-strengthened speci-
mens with an increase in aspect ratio. However, strength and ductil-
ity improved due to hybrid FRP strengthening for all aspect ratios
compared to their control counterparts. Hybrid FRP strengthening
is more effective when compared with EB strengthening. The con-
finement effect from EB prevents the buckling of NSM laminates
and provides additional stiffness. EB helps resist the dilation of
the concrete core and prevents the cover concrete spalling by delay-
ing the progression of microcracks coalescing to a macrocrack.

© ASCE 04021042-9 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 8. Compressive behavior of NSM-strengthened RC columns with different aspect ratios: (a) normalized load–strain; and (b) load–deformation.

The synergy between the load resistance of NSM laminates and EB
confinement enhances the overall performance of hybrid FRP
strengthening in improving strength and ductility. The maximum
variation between the peak load of two specimens was within
10% for hybrid FRP strengthening of different aspect ratios, indicat-
ing the consistency of test results.
Effectiveness of Different Strengthening Techniques
Load–Deformation Behavior
An overall comparison of normalized load–strain curves and load
versus deformation of RC control and FRP strengthened specimens
for different aspect ratios is compared in Figs. 10(a and b), respec-
tively. The effectiveness of EB and hybrid FRP strengthening in im-
proving the strength and ductility reduced with an increase in aspect
ratio. The ultimate strain of EB-strengthened specimens, which is a
measure of ductility, reduced significantly with an increase in aspect
ratio [Fig. 10(a)]. For all aspect ratios, hybrid FRP strengthening re-
sulted in the best performance. Both the strength and ductility in-
creased significantly for all aspect ratios due to the synergy of
NSM reinforcement and external confinement in load resistance.
Load–Strain Behavior
The strain gauges (SGs) were installed at the midheight of the col-
umn specimens, and their locations are shown in Fig. 11. A total
of five SGs (SG1 and SG3 bonded to main longitudinal rebars,
SG2 bonded to tie, SG4 bonded to NSM laminate, and SG5 bonded
to EB) were installed in the hybrid FRP-strengthened RC column
with an aspect ratio of 1. An overall comparison of load–strain var-
iation in the longitudinal reinforcement and transverse reinforcement
(ties) is shown in Fig. 12. The strain in longitudinal and tie reinforce-
ment in the EB-confined and hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens in-
creased significantly compared to control columns. For the hybrid,
FRP-strengthened RC column with an aspect ratio of 2, six SGs

© ASCE 04021042-10 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 9. Compressive behavior of hybrid FRP-strengthened RC columns with different aspect ratios: (a) normalized load–strain; and (b) load–
deformation.

(SG2 and SG3 bonded to main longitudinal rebars, SG1 bonded to
tie, SG4 and SG5 bonded to NSM, and SG6 bonded to EB) were in-
stalled. Similarly, nine SGs (SG1, SG3, and SG4 bonded to main
bars, SG2 bonded to tie, SG5, SG6, and SG7 bonded to NSM,
and SG8 and SG9 bonded to EB) were installed on the hybrid
FRP-strengthened RC column with an aspect ratio of 3. The
increase in strain levels in rebars and NSM laminates shows
the improved performance in hybrid FRP specimens is due
to an increase in the concrete strain at failure (Fig. 12). The con-
tribution from the longitudinal reinforcement was maximum
for hybrid FRP-strengthened columns with an aspect ratio of 1.
A maximum compressive strain of 1.24% in the longitudinal re-
inforcement of the hybrid FRP-strengthened column with an as-
pect ratio of 1 was noted. Thus, the longitudinal rebars went into
a hardening regime in the hybrid FRP specimens of aspect ratio
1. However, the contribution of longitudinal reinforcement in
load resistance reduced with an increase in aspect ratio. It reduced
to 0.64% and 0.37% for hybrid FRP-strengthened columns with as-
pect ratios of 2 and 3, respectively, due to lesser confinement of the
concrete core. A maximum strain of 1.03% was observed in the lon-
gitudinal reinforcement of EB-confined specimen with an aspect
ratio of 1. It drastically reduced to 0.29% for column specimens hav-
ing an aspect ratio of 3. Thus, hybrid FRP strengthening provided
more load resistance through higher contribution from longitudinal
rebars. It was also more effective than EB confinement for columns
with larger aspect ratios.
As expected, columns with only NSM strengthening did not
perform well compared to those with hybrid FRP strengthening
due to the less effectiveness of NSM laminates in compressive
load resistance. The strain variation in the NSM laminates and
EB FRP fabric is shown in Fig. 13. EB strengthening is effective
in improving the performance of column specimens having an

© ASCE 04021042-11 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 10. Overall comparison of load–deformation curves of RC control and FRP strengthened specimens having different aspect ratios: (a) normal-
ized load–strain; and (b) load–deformation.

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 11. Location of strain gauges for column specimens: (a) 150 × 150 mm; (b) 150 × 300 mm; and (c) 150 × 450 mm. Note: All dimensions are in mm.

© ASCE 04021042-12 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 12. Comparison of load–strain behavior of reinforcement in control and FRP-strengthened RC column specimens: (a) longitudinal reinforce-
ment; and (b) transverse reinforcement (ties).

aspect ratio of 1. However, the strains reduced drastically with an
increase in the aspect ratio from 1 to 3. The strain variation indi-
cates that the contribution of NSM laminates was significantly
higher in hybrid FRP-strengthened columns than that in the ones
with only NSM strengthening. EB confinement prevented the buck-
ling of NSM laminates and increased the failure strain of the con-
crete core, leading to higher contribution of NSM laminates.
Energy Absorption and Ductility
The ductility of the column specimen is defined as the ratio of yield
deformation (δy) to the ultimate deformation (δu) at failure. The yield
deformation corresponds to the limit of elastic behavior (Pessiki and
Pieroni 1997; Pantelides et al. 2013), which was obtained from the
bilinear idealization of the load–deformation behavior. The intersec-
tion of the extended linear portion of the load–displacement curve
with the horizontal line drawn from the peak load (Fig. 14) defines
the yield deformation. The ultimate deformation was considered at
30% drop in load resistance from the peak load. The strain energy
is the area under the load–deformation curve up to the ultimate point.
A comparison of ductility and strain energy stored in the RC
control and FRP-strengthened columns with different aspect ratios
is summarized in Table 3. The percentage increase in the ductility
and strain energy was calculated by considering the average re-
sponse of two FRP-strengthened and control specimens. The max-
imum ductility enhancement of 156% was observed for the hybrid
FRP-strengthened specimen with an aspect ratio of 1. The ductility
enhancement reduced with an increase in aspect ratio. The percent-
age increase in ductility reduced to 136% and 74% for hybrid
FRP-strengthened columns with aspect ratios of 2 and 3, respec-
tively. The strain energy and ductility enhancement of EB confine-
ment reduce drastically with an increase in the aspect ratio. Thus,
the results clearly show that hybrid FRP strengthening increased
the strength, ductility, and energy absorption for columns of all
aspect ratios tested in this study.
Finite-Element Analysis
Numerical analysis was carried out using commercially available
finite-element (FE) software for understanding the effectiveness
of different FRP strengthening techniques (ABAQUS 2014;
Chellapandian et al. 2017). The primary focus was to understand

© ASCE 04021042-13 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 13. Comparison of load–strain behavior of FRP in EB confinement and hybrid FRP-strengthened RC column specimens: (a) NSM laminates;
and (b) FRP fabric.

the mechanisms behind the improvement in the performance of col-

umns with varying aspect ratios. Three-dimensional FE models
were created with different FRP strengthening techniques and vali-
dated with test results. After that, the effect of different parameters
and the influence of shape effect on the effectiveness of hybrid FRP
strengthening were studied. The specimen details and material
properties of the FE model are described in the following sections.

Modeling Parameters
Concrete is a quasi-brittle material and exhibits highly nonlinear
behavior. A proper description of concrete properties and their
damage progression is essential for accurate FE analysis. The con-
crete damage plasticity (CDP) model was used in this study. RC
columns were modeled with eight-node 3D brick elements
(C3D8R). A three-dimensional truss element (T3D2) was used
for modelling the NSM laminates, longitudinal and transverse rein-
forcement. EB FRP wrapping was modeled using a four-node shell
Fig. 14. Load–displacement curve for calculating the ductility.
element (S4R). An optimum mesh size of 25 mm was considered

© ASCE 04021042-14 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 for all models after detailed mesh convergence studies. The plastic-
ity parameters of the CDP model are shown in Table 5. More de-
tails of the CDP model formulations and elements can be found
elsewhere (Ganganagoudar et al. 2016; Chellapandian et al.
2018, 2019a). Only essential results are discussed in the following
sections for maintaining brevity.
The bond interface between the concrete and steel was modeled
using embedded region constraints. The perfect bond was assumed
between the concrete and EB FRP and NSM laminates because no
debonding was observed during the experimental investigation.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
The tie constraint was used to model the bond interface between
the concrete and EB FRP and NSM laminates. The bottom end
of the columns was assumed to be fixed. For capturing the better
postpeak response, the load was applied using the displacement
control mode at the top end of columns.
Comparison of FE Predictions with Test Results
The average load–deformation behavior of two specimens was
used for the validation of FE results. A total of 12 FE models
were created for control RC and EB-, NSM-, and hybrid
FRP-strengthened column specimens having different aspect ratios.

Table 5. Plasticity parameters of the CDP model The axial load–displacement curves of experimental results and nu-
Dilation angle Eccentricity fbo/fco K Viscosity parameter merical analysis are compared in Figs. 15–18 for different strength-
ening techniques and aspect ratios. A maximum variation of 9%
35° 0.1 1.16 0.67 0.008
was observed between the peak strength of FE models and test

Fig. 15. Comparison of load–deformation curves of control RC specimens.

Fig. 16. Comparison of load–deformation curves of EB-confined specimens.

© ASCE 04021042-15 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Fig. 17. Comparison of load–deformation curves of NSM-strengthened specimens.

Fig. 18. Comparison of load–deformation curves of hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens.

results of hybrid specimens. The overall trend of the FE analysis
matched well with the experimental data. A comparison of numer-
ical analysis and experimental results is summarized in Table 6. A
maximum strength improvement of 30% for EB strengthening was
observed for a specimen with an aspect ratio of 1. Test and FE re-
sults showed that with an increase in aspect ratio, a significant re-
duction in strength improvement was observed for
EB-strengthened specimens. The strength improvement reduced
to be 18% and 13%, respectively, for aspect ratios 2 and 3 when
compared to control columns. NSM strengthening showed an im-
provement of 6%, 11%, and 8% compared to control RC specimens
with aspect ratios of 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Hybrid FRP strength-
ening resulted in the best performance for all aspect ratios.
Although the strength improvement was reduced for hybrid FRP
strengthening, it was much higher when compared to only EB or
NSM strengthening techniques, even for columns with a higher as-
pect ratio of 2 or 3.
Effect of Aspect Ratio on Normalized Load and Ultimate
Compressive Strain
A comparison of the effect of aspect ratio on normalized load and
ultimate compressive strain based on the experimental and FE anal-
ysis is shown in Fig. 19. EB confinement effectively improves the
normalized load and ultimate strain for the columns with an aspect
ratio of 1. The normalized peak load decreased with an increase in
aspect ratio. However, a drastic reduction in the ultimate axial

© ASCE 04021042-16 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 strain was observed in the experimental test data, and only a mar- Comparison of Damage Progression and Failure Modes
ginal increase in axial strain was observed for the columns with as-
The failure modes and the damage progression from the FE analy-
pect ratios of 2 and 3. However, FE results showed a gradual
sis are compared with those of test specimens. The compression
reduction in the ultimate axial strain in FE analysis results. As
(dc) and tension (dt) damage variable parameters in the CDP
shown in Figs. 12(a and b), both experimental and FE analysis
model were used to quantify the damage progression. The damage
results show that the hybrid FRP strengthening improves the
variables are a function of the field variable and plastic strain, and
normalized load and ultimate compressive strain significantly for
this indicates the degradation of the elastic stiffness of the member
the columns with an aspect ratio of 1. Again, the normalized
(ABAQUS 2014). The damage contours and failure modes are
load and ultimate axial strain decreased with an increase in the
shown in Figs. 20–22. The damage distribution of tested control
aspect ratio. However, hybrid strengthening resulted in the best
and strengthened columns is compared with the compression dam-
performance compared to NSM and EB strengthening.
age distribution from FE analysis.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

The damage contours shown in the FE results are concentrated

throughout the length as the FE analysis replicates the ideal condition
of failure. The damage observed in the tested specimens is concen-
Table 6. Comparison of numerical results with experimental results
trated at the middle portion and slightly shifted toward the ends due
Experimental FE analysis peak to geometric imperfections. High-strength grout was applied at both
Specimen peak load (kN) load (kN) Variation (%) ends of the specimen to ensure uniform load transfer. Also, the verti-
Aspect ratio = 1 cality of the specimen is maintained during the testing to limit the geo-
RC 742 726 2 metric imperfections. The damage value in the EB-confined and
EB 911 940 −3 hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens is lesser than the damage values
NSM 778 769 1 in the RC and NSM-strengthened specimens. The confinement limits
HYB 1,035 1,126 −9 the damage in the concrete and effectively increases the concrete con-
Aspect ratio = 2
tribution in improving the strength and ductility. Overall, the damage
RC 1,406 1,502 −7
EB 1,755 1,768 −1 contours from FE results showed a good correlation with test results.
NSM 1,640 1,664 −1 The control RC columns failed after reaching the peak capacity
HYB 1,963 1,940 1 due to severe cracking followed by the degradation, spalling of
Aspect ratio = 3 cover concrete, and yielding of longitudinal rebars. The EB-confined
RC 2,104 2,224 −6 columns failed abruptly through the release of strain energy in the
EB 2,306 2,523 −9 form of loud noise with the rupture of FRP. The failure mode in
NSM 2,361 2,393 −1 the NSM-strengthened columns was through microbuckling of
HYB 2,548 2,665 −5
CFRP fibers in the NSM laminates and followed by the yielding of

(a)

(b)

Fig. 19. Comparison of the effect of aspect ratios (b/d): (a) experimental results; and (b) FE analysis results.

© ASCE 04021042-17 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 20. Comparison of failure modes and damage pattern of column specimens with an aspect ratio of 1: (a) control RC column;
(b) NSM-strengthened RC column; (c) EB-strengthened RC column; and (d) hybrid FRP-strengthened RC column.

reinforcement. A large amount of strain energy release was observed
during the failure of hybrid FRP-strengthened columns with a loud
noise. The confinement effect provided by EB in the case of hybrid
FRP strengthening prevented the buckling of NSM laminates and
yielding of steel reinforcement until the final rupture of FRP wrap-
ping (EB). The hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens failed at the
higher strains compared to only EB or NSM strengthening alone.
The strain level at the ultimate failure points of the steel reinforce-
ment, NSM laminates, and EB FRP is significantly higher in the
case of hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens compared to the EB
and NSM strengthening alone. The stresses in the columns at the
peak and ultimate load and the strain levels in the rebar, NSM, and
EB FRP are presented in Table 4. The ultimate strains at the failure
of hybrid FRP-strengthened specimens reduced with an increase in
the aspect ratio. However, ultimate strain values of hybrid
FRP-strengthened specimens at the higher aspect ratios are signifi-
cantly higher than those of the EB- and NSM-strengthened
specimens.
Variation of Mean Hydrostatic Confining Stress
The mean hydrostatic stress is the first invariant of the stress tensor.
It indicates the level of volumetric confinement stress experienced
by the concrete due to FRP strengthening. A higher value of mean

© ASCE 04021042-18 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 21. Comparison of failure modes and damage pattern of column specimens with an aspect ratio of 2: (a) control RC column;
(b) NSM-strengthened RC column; (c) EB-strengthened RC column; and (d) hybrid FRP-strengthened RC column.

hydrostatic confinement stress indicates the cross-sectional area of
the concrete to be effectively confined and vice versa. The effective
mean hydrostatic confinement stress variation based on axial defor-
mation is shown in Fig. 23. The displacement at the peak load cor-
responding to the control RC column (Disp @ PRC) and 5% strength
reduction in EB-confined columns (Disp @ 0.95PEB) corresponding
to the numerical analysis results were considered for quantifying the
effective confinement in control and FRP-strengthened columns.
The second displacement point (Disp @ 0.95PEB) is considered at
a slightly higher displacement than the first value to understand
the variation of confinement stress after a slight increase in deforma-
tion. The mean hydrostatic confinement stress variation between the
ties is shown in Fig. 23(a). The mean value was calculated from
eight nodal points extracted from the concrete core. The maximum
average confinement occurred at the location of stirrups, and it re-
duced with an increase in distance away from the stirrup location.
The confinement effect from the internal ties is less effective be-
tween the ties when compared to the tie location. A constant volu-
metric percentage of tie reinforcement has been considered. Due to
this, the spacing of ties reduced for columns with aspect ratios of
2 and 3. Columns with an aspect ratio of 3 had ties at 125 mm c/c
compared to 200 mm c/c for columns with an aspect ratio of
1. Thus, the control columns had a similar volumetric ratio but
with different tie spacings. In the control RC columns, the maxi-
mum hydrostatic confinement stress of 9.61 MPa was observed
for the column with an aspect ratio of 3. It was reduced to
6.75 MPa for an aspect ratio of 1 due to the larger spacing of ties.
The effect of external confinement was expected to be very signifi-
cant compared to internal confinement from ties.
FRP confinement in EB and hybrid FRP strengthening signifi-
cantly increased the confinement of concrete [Fig. 23(a)]. The
stress magnitudes show that hybrid FRP strengthening was more
effective compared to EB confinement for an RC column with an
aspect ratio of 1. A maximum confinement stress of 12.10 MPa
was observed for a hybrid FRP-strengthened specimen with an as-
pect ratio of 1, which reduced to 10.36 MPa for specimens with EB
confinement. For RC columns having aspect ratios of 2 and 3, hy-
brid FRP strengthening performed better than EB confinement. The
results showed the effectiveness of the confinement reduced with
an increase in the aspect ratio. The effective mean hydrostatic

© ASCE 04021042-19 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 22. Comparison of failure modes and damage pattern of column specimens with an aspect ratio of 3: (a) control RC column;
(b) NSM-strengthened RC column; (c) EB-strengthened RC column; and (d) hybrid FRP-strengthened RC column.

confinement stress reduced from 12.10 MPa (aspect ratio 1) to
10.24 MPa (aspect ratio 3) for hybrid FRP strengthening. However,
it was much higher than a value of 6.75 MPa observed in the con-
trol RC specimen with the same aspect ratio of 3.
The variation of mean hydrostatic confinement stress along
the cross section near the edge and the center is shown in
Figs. 23(b and c). The variation of mean hydrostatic confinement
stress is similar to the pattern of the effective confinement area
shown in Fig. 1(a). The effective confinement stress is maximum
at the corner and minimum at the center of the edge of the sec-
tion. Thus, the confinement effect from the FRP is maximum
at the corners, and it reduces at the center along the edge of
the cross section. For the section at the center of the column,
the effective confinement stress is minimum at the edge and in-
creased to a maximum at the middle of the cross section.
The confinement stress variation shown in Figs. 23(b and c)
shows that the efficiency of FRP confinement reduced with an in-
crease in the aspect ratio. With an increase in aspect ratios, the
mean hydrostatic confinement stress reduced linearly. Thus, the
peak and ultimate strength reduced drastically with an increase in
aspect ratio due to reduced effective confinement. The variation
of mean hydrostatic stress shows that hybrid FRP strengthening
performed better than EB confinement. Due to this, hybrid FRP
strengthening produced the best performance.
Parametric Studies
An optimum hybrid FRP system can be designed to achieve the re-
quired strength and ductility improvement. The optimum percentage
of reinforcement ratios can be determined from a parametric study.
Twelve FE models with hybrid FRP strengthening were created and
analyzed. The effect of variation in NSM laminate ratio on hybrid
FRP strengthening for columns with different aspect ratios was
studied. A constant EB ratio and a variation in the NSM laminate
ratio from 0.4% to 1.6% were considered in the FE analysis. The
load–deformation curves of parametric investigation for shape effect
are shown in Fig. 24(a). A comparison of the percentage increase in
the peak load with the preceding NSM laminate ratio is shown in
Fig. 24(b). The optimum NSM laminate ratio was found to be 1.2%
for column specimens with aspect ratios of 1 and 2. The strength

© ASCE 04021042-20 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Fig. 23. Variation of mean hydrostatic confinement stress: (a) between ties; (b) along the cross section near the end; and (c) along the cross section at
the center.

improvements of 68% and 40% were observed for columns
strengthened with 1.2% of the NSM laminate ratio. For the column
with an aspect ratio of 3, a strength improvement of 38% was observed
for 1.6% of the NSM laminate ratio. The optimum NSM ratio for
the columns with an aspect ratio of 3 needs to be evaluated in
further studies.
Only limited parameters were investigated in this study. The
test results from this study proved the efficacy of hybrid FRP
strengthening in the performance improvement of columns
with higher aspect ratios. However, only limited test data on
the behavior of hybrid FRP-strengthened RC columns are avail-
able in the literature. Thus, future work should experimentally

© ASCE 04021042-21 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 24. Results of parametric studies: (a) effect of NSM laminate ratio; and (b) comparison of percentage increase in peak load with control RC
column–NSM laminate ratio.

study the effect of the number of EB layers, NSM laminate ratio,
modulus of NSM laminate, and the size and shape of the cross
section. The study parameters can be adjusted per the size and
capacity of testing equipment and the properties of strengthen-
ing materials. The effect of eccentric compression on the behav-
ior of hybrid FRP-strengthened columns with different aspect
ratios would also be attractive.
Summary and Conclusions
The influence of shape on the effectiveness of different FRP
strengthening was studied using experimental and FE analyses.
Twenty-four specimens were cast and tested with different FRP
strengthening techniques. Several FE models are developed and va-
lidated using experimental data. After that, a detailed parametric
investigation is carried out. The following major conclusions can
be drawn from the results presented in this study:
• The FRP confinement through EB strengthening is effective for
strength and ductility improvement of rectangular columns with
an aspect ratio of 1. However, the effectiveness of EB confine-
ment reduces significantly with an increase in the aspect ratio of
columns.
• Only a marginal strength improvement is observed in columns
strengthened with only NSM strengthening. The strength im-
provement due to NSM strengthening does not change signifi-
cantly with an increase in aspect ratio.
• Hybrid FRP strengthening significantly improves the strength
and ductility of columns with different aspect ratios. Strengthen-
ing of columns with hybrid FRP shows improved load suste-
nance in the postpeak regime with less strength degradation
over a larger deformation range. Also, the NSM and EB ratios

© ASCE 04021042-22 J. Compos. Constr.

J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042

 can be optimized in the hybrid FRP strengthening based on the
aspect ratio of the column.
• Test results show strength improvements of 23% and 25% for
EB-strengthened specimens with aspect ratios 1 and 2, compared
to the control RC columns. However, the increase in the strength
reduces to 10% for the column specimen with an aspect ratio of 3.
• FE results showed a strength improvement of 29% for the EB-
strengthened model with an aspect ratio of 1. The improvements
in the peak strength reduce to 18% and 13% for the same speci-
mens with aspect ratios of 2 and 3, respectively.
• A maximum strength improvement of 40% is experimentally
observed for the hybrid FRP-strengthened columns with aspect
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
ratios of 1 and 2 compared with the control RC columns. How-
ever, it reduces to 21% for the hybrid FRP-strengthened column
specimen with an aspect ratio of 3.
• The higher strain levels in the longitudinal reinforcement and
transverse reinforcement of hybrid FRP-strengthened columns
indicate better performance in terms of strength and ductility
than control RC and EB-confined column specimens.
• The ultimate axial strain of RC control and FRP-strengthened
column specimens reduces with an increase in the aspect ratio.
• FE results show that effectiveness of confinement increased in hy-
brid FRP strengthening. The variation in confining stress is reduced
across the width of columns with a larger aspect ratio, indicating the
synergistic performance of NSM laminates and EB confinement.
Data Availability Statement
All the data used in the study, which include the test data and FE
models developed, are available upon reasonable request from
the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments
DGC Engineering Limited, Mumbai donated FRP materials for this
research. The authors thankfully acknowledge their generous sup-
port. Scholarship to the first author was provided by the Ministry of
Education, India, which is duly acknowledged.
References
ABAQUS. 2014. Abaqus v. 6.14-2 analysis user’s guide—Online docu-
mentation. Providence, RI: Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp.
Abdallah, M., F. Al Mahmoud, R. Boissière, A. Khelil, and J. Mercier.
2020. “Experimental study on strengthening of RC beams with side
near surface mounted technique-CFRP bars.” Compos. Struct. 234:
111716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2019.111716.
Abdelrahman, K., and R. El-Hacha. 2012. “Behavior of large-scale con-
crete columns wrapped with CFRP and SFRP sheets.” J. Compos.
Constr. 16 (4): 430–439. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943
-5614.0000278.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 2017. Guide for the design and con-
struction of externally bonded FRP systems for strengthening concrete
structures. ACI 440.2R-17. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
Adebar, P., and A. Lorzadeh. 2012. “Compression failure of thin concrete
walls.” In 15 WCEE, 1–10. Red Hook, NY: Curran Associates, Inc.
http://toc.proceedings.com/24574webtoc.pdf/.
Al-Salloum, Y. A. 2007. “Influence of edge sharpness on the strength of
square concrete columns confined with FRP composite laminates.”
Composites, Part B 38 (5–6): 640–650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j
.compositesb.2006.06.019.
Alsayed, S. H., T. H. Almusallam, S. M. Ibrahim, N. M. Al-Hazmi, Y. A.
Al-Salloum, and H. Abbas. 2014. “Experimental and numerical
© ASCE 04021042-23
J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042
investigation for compression response of CFRP strengthened shape mod-
ified wall-like RC column.” Constr. Build. Mater. 63: 72–80. https://doi
.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.04.047.
ASTM. 2017. Standard test method for tensile properties of polymer matrix
composite materials. ASTM D3039/D3039M-17. West Conshohocken,
PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2020. Standard test method for open-hole compressive strength of
polymer matrix composite laminates. ASTM D6484/D6484M-20. West
Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2021. Standard test method for compressive strength of cylindrical
concrete specimens. ASTM C39/C39M-21. West Conshohocken, PA:
ASTM.
Barros, J. A. O., R. K. Varma, J. M. Sena-Cruz, and A. F. M. Azevedo.
2008. “Near surface mounted CFRP strips for the flexural strengthening
of RC columns: Experimental and numerical research.” Eng. Struct.
30 (12): 3412–3425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2008.05.019.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 1987. Methods of test for chemical re-
sistant mortars. Part I silicate type and resin type. IS: 4456 (Part
I)-87. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2004. Methods of tests for strength of
concrete. IS: 516-04. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2009. Indian standard guidelines for con-
crete mix design proportioning. IS: 10262-09. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2018. Metallic materials—Tensile test-
ing at ambient temperature. IS: 1608 (Part 1)-18. New Delhi, India:
Bureau of Indian Standards.
Bisby, L. A., A. J. Dent, and M. F. Green. 2005. “Comparison of
confinement models for FRP wrapped concrete.” ACI Struct. J.
102 (1): 62–72.
Campione, G., and N. Miraglia. 2003. “Strength and strain capacities of con-
crete compression members reinforced with FRP.” Cem. Concr. Compos.
25 (1): 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-9465(01)00048-8.
Chai, Y. H., M. J. N. Priestley, and F. Seible. 1994. “Analytical model for
steel-jacketed RC circular bridge columns.” J. Struct. Eng. 120 (8):
2358–2376. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1994)120:8(2358).
Chellapandian, M., S. Jain, S. S. Prakash, and A. Sharma. 2019a. “Effect of
cyclic damage on the performance of RC square columns strengthened
using hybrid FRP composites under axial compression.” Fibers 7 (10):
90. https://doi.org/10.3390/fib7100090.
Chellapandian, M., and S. S. Prakash. 2019. “Axial compression–flexure
interaction behavior of hybrid FRP-strengthened columns.” ACI
Struct. J. 116 (2): 125–138. https://doi.org/10.14359/51710877.
Chellapandian, M., S. S. Prakash, V. Mahadik, and A. Sharma. 2019b.
“Experimental and numerical studies on effectiveness of hybrid FRP
strengthening on behavior of RC columns under high eccentric com-
pression.” J. Bridge Eng. 24 (6): 04019048. https://doi.org/10.1061
/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0001420.
Chellapandian, M., S. S. Prakash, and A. Sharma. 2017. “Strength and duc-
tility of innovative hybrid NSM reinforced and FRP confined short RC
columns under axial compression.” Compos. Struct. 176: 205–216.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.05.033.
Chellapandian, M., S. S. Prakash, and A. Rajagopal. 2018. “Analytical and
finite element studies on hybrid FRP strengthened RC column elements
under axial and eccentric compression.” Compos. Struct. 184: 234–248.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.09.109.
Chellapandian, M., S. S. Prakash, and A. Sharma. 2019c. “Experimental in-
vestigation of the effectiveness of hybrid FRP-strengthened RC columns
on axial compression–bending interaction behavior.” J. Compos.
Constr. 23 (4): 04019025. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943
-5614.0000952.
De Luca, A., F. Nardone, G. P. Lignola, A. Prota, and A. Nanni. 2013.
“Wall-like reinforced concrete columns externally confined by means
of glass FRP laminates.” Adv. Struct. Eng. 16 (4): 593–603. https://
doi.org/10.1260/1369-4332.16.4.593.
De Luca, A., F. Nardone, F. Matta, A. Nanni, G. P. Lignola, and A. Prota.
2011. “Structural evaluation of full-scale FRP-confined reinforced con-
crete columns.” J. Compos. Constr. 15 (1): 112–123. https://doi.org/10
.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000152.
Ganganagoudar, A., T. G. Mondal, and S. Suriya Prakash. 2016.
“Analytical and finite element studies on behavior of FRP strengthened
J. Compos. Constr.
 RC beams under torsion.” Compos. Struct. 153: 876–885. https://doi
.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.07.014.
Gao, P., D. Sun, Y. Zhao, L. Hong, Z. Wang, and T. Chen. 2021. “Effect of
the corner radius on the axial compressive performance of large steel-
reinforced concrete columns confined by carbon fibre-reinforced poly-
mer.” Eng. Struct. 239: 112303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct
.2021.112303.
Hadi, M. N. S. 2006. “Behaviour of FRP wrapped normal strength concrete
columns under eccentric loading.” Compos. Struct. 72 (4): 503–511.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2005.01.018.
Hu, Y. M., T. Yu, and J. G. Teng. 2011. “FRP-confined circular concrete-
filled thin steel tubes under axial compression.” J. Compos. Constr.
15 (5): 850–860. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000217.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 08/03/21. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Janwaen, W., J. A. Barros, and I. G. Costa. 2019. “A new strengthening
technique for increasing the load carrying capacity of rectangular rein-
forced concrete columns subjected to axial compressive loading.”
Composites, Part B 158: 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb
.2018.09.045.
Janwaen, W., J. A. O. Barros, and I. G. Costa. 2020. “New hybrid FRP
strengthening technique for rectangular RC columns subjected to eccen-
tric compressive loading.” J. Compos. Constr. 24 (5): 04020043. https://
doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0001052.
Jiang, T., and J. G. Teng. 2007. “Analysis-oriented stress–strain models for
FRP-confined concrete.” Eng. Struct. 29 (11): 2968–2986. https://doi
.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2007.01.010.
Khorramian, K., and P. Sadeghian. 2018. “Strengthening slender circular
concrete columns with a novel hybrid FRP system.” In Proc., 6th Int.
Structural Specialty Conf. 2018, Held as Part of the Canadian
Society for Civil Engineering Annual Conf. 2018, 756–766. Quebec,
Canada: Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
Lam, L., and J. G. Teng. 2003a. “Design-oriented stress–strain model for
FRP-confined concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 17 (6–7): 471–489.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0950-0618(03)00045-X.
Lam, L., and J. G. Teng. 2003b. “Design-oriented stress–strain model for
FRP-confined concrete in rectangular columns.” J. Reinf. Plast. Compos.
22 (13): 1149–1186. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731684403035429.
Mander, J. B., M. J. N. Priestley, and R. Park. 1988. “Theoretical stress–
strain model for confined concrete.” J. Struct. Eng. 114 (8): 1804–
1826. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1988)114:8(1804).
Matthys, S., H. Toutanji, and L. Taerwe. 2006. “Stress–strain behavior of
large-scale circular columns confined with FRP composites.”
J. Struct. Eng. 132 (1): 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733
-9445(2006)132:1(123).
Mirmiran, A., and M. Shahawy. 1997. “Behavior of concrete columns con-
fined by fiber composites.” J. Struct. Eng. 123 (5): 583–590. https://doi
.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1997)123:5(583).
Mirmiran, A., M. Shahawy, M. Samaan, H. El Echary, J. C. Mastrapa, and
O. Pico. 1998. “Effect of column parameters on FRP-confined con-
crete.” J. Compos. Constr. 2 (4): 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1061
/(ASCE)1090-0268(1998)2:4(175).
Mostofinejad, D., and N. Moshiri. 2015. “Compressive strength of CFRP
composites used for strengthening of RC columns: Comparative evalu-
ation of EBR and grooving methods.” J. Compos. Constr. 19 (5):
04014079. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000545.
Olivova, K., and J. Bilcik. 2009. “Strengthening of concrete columns with
CFRP.” Slovak J. Civ. Eng. 1: 1–9.
Pantelides, C. P., M. E. Gibbons, and L. D. Reaveley. 2013. “Axial load
behavior of concrete columns confined with GFRP spirals.”
© ASCE 04021042-24
J. Compos. Constr., 2021, 25(5): 04021042
J. Compos. Constr. 17 (3): 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)
CC.1943-5614.0000357.
Parvin, A., and A. S. Jamwal. 2005. “Effects of wrap thickness and ply con-
figuration on composite-confined concrete cylinders.” Compos. Struct.
67 (4): 437–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2004.02.002.
Parvin, A., and A. S. Jamwal. 2006. “Performance of externally FRP rein-
forced columns for changes in angle and thickness of the wrap and con-
crete strength.” Compos. Struct. 73 (4): 451–457. https://doi.org/10
.1016/j.compstruct.2005.02.019.
Pessiki, S., and A. Pieroni. 1997. “Axial load behavior of large scale
spirally reinforced high strength concrete columns.” ACI Struct. J.
94 (3): 304–314.
Prota, A., G. Manfredi, and E. Cosenza. 2006. “Ultimate behavior of axially
loaded RC wall-like columns confined with GFRP.” Composites, Part B
37 (7–8): 670–678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2006.01.005.
Shin, J., J. S. Jeon, and T. R. Wright. 2019. “Seismic mobile shaker testing
of full-scale RC building frames with high-strength NSM-FRP hybrid
retrofit system.” Compos. Struct. 226: 111207. https://doi.org/10.1016
/j.compstruct.2019.111207.
Spoelstra, B. M. R., and G. Monti. 1999. “FRP-confined concrete model.”
J. Compos. Constr. 3 (3): 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)
1090-0268(1999)3:3(143).
Toutanji, H., M. Han, J. Gilbert, and S. Matthys. 2010. “Behavior of large-
scale rectangular columns confined with FRP composites.” J. Compos.
Constr. 14 (1): 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614
.0000051.
Triantafillou, T. C., E. Choutopoulou, E. Fotaki, M. Skorda, M.
Stathopoulou, and K. Karlos. 2016. “FRP confinement of wall-like re-
inforced concrete columns.” Mater. Struct. 49 (1–2): 651–664.
Vuggumudi, S., and P. Alagusundaramoorthy. 2018a. “FRP strengthened
RC rectangular columns under combined axial and lateral loading:
Analytical study.” Structures 14: 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j
.istruc.2018.02.007.
Vuggumudi, S., and P. Alagusundaramoorthy. 2018b. “Interaction dia-
grams for FRP strengthened RC rectangular columns with large aspect
ratio.” Constr. Build. Mater. 171: 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j
.conbuildmat.2018.03.131.
Wang, L. M., and Y. F. Wu. 2008. “Effect of corner radius on the perfor-
mance of CFRP-confined square concrete columns: Test.” Eng. Struct.
30 (2): 493–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2007.04.016.
Wu, H.-L., Y.-F. Wang, L. Yu, and X.-R. Li. 2009. “Experimental and
computational studies on high-strength concrete circular columns
confined by aramid fiber-reinforced polymer sheets.” J. Compos.
Constr. 13 (2): 125–134. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090
-0268(2009)13:2(125).
Wu, Y. F., and J. F. Jiang. 2013. “Effective strain of FRP for confined cir-
cular concrete columns.” Compos. Struct. 95: 479–491. https://doi.org
/10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.08.021.
Wu, Y. F., and Y. Y. Wei. 2010. “Effect of cross-sectional aspect ratio on
the strength of CFRP-confined rectangular concrete columns.” Eng.
Struct. 32 (1): 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2009.08.012.
Yeh, F., and K. Chang. 2004. “Size and shape effect on FRP confinements
for rectangular concrete columns.” In Proc., 13th World Conf. on
Earthquake Engineering, No. 657, 1–15. Vancouver, BC, Canada: 13
WCEE Secretariat.
Zeng, J. J., J. G. Teng, F. Asce, G. Lin, and L. J. Li. 2021. “Large-scale
FRP-confined rectangular RC columns with section curvilinearization
under axial compression.” J. Compos. Constr. 25 (3): 04021020. https://
doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0001129.
J. Compos. Constr.