STRENGTH AND DUCTILITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAM COLUMN

JOINT STRENGTHENING BY HYBRID FRP AND GFRP SHEETS

N. Attari1*, S. Amziane2 and M. Chemrouk3

1*
ENSA, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture, Algiers, Algeria.
e-mail:attari_n@yahoo.fr
2
Université Blaise Pascal, Polytechnique Clermont Ferrand, Département Génie Civil, France.
e-mail:Sofiane.Amziane@polytech.univ-bpclermont.fr
3
Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria.
e-mail:mchemrouk@yahoo.fr

ABSTRACT:

A large number of old buildings have been identified as having potentially critical detailing to resist earthquakes.
The m ain r einforcement o f lap-spliced c olumns j ust a bove t he j oint r egion, di scontinuous bot tom be am
reinforcement, and little or no joint transverse reinforcement are the most critical details of interior beam column
joints in such buildings.
This structural type constitutes a large share of the building stock, both in developed and developing countries,
and h ence r epresents a substantial e xposure. Direct o bservation o f d amaged s tructures, f ollowing t he Algiers
2003 earthquake, ha s s hown t hat d amage o ccurs usually a t t he b eam-column j oints, with failure in bending or
shear, depending on geometry and reinforcement distribution and type.
While substantial literature exist for the design of concrete frame joints to withstand this type of failure, after the
earthquake many structures were classified as slightly damaged and, being uneconomic to replace them, at least
in the short term, suitable means of repairs of the beam column joint area are being studied. Furthermore there
exist a large number of buildings that need retrofitting of the joints before the next earthquake.
The p aper reports t he r esults o f the experimental programme, constituted of three beam-column r einforced
concrete joints at a scale of one to three (1/3) tested under the effect of a p restressing axial load acting over the
column. T he b eams were subjected at t heir en ds to a n alternate cyclic loading under displacement control to
simulate a seismic action.
Strain and cracking fields were monitored with the help a digital recording camera. Following the analysis of the
results, a co mparison can be made between the performances in terms of ductility, strength and mode of failure
of the different strengthening solution considered.

Key words: Fibre reinforced polymers; Joints; reinforced Concrete; Beam columns.

1. INTRODUCTION:
Various authors (Bakoss et al., 1999, Elsanadedy and Mosallam, 2000, Ghobarah and Said, 2001, Granata and
Parvin, 2001) have conducted tests on di fferent layout of F RP fabric and s heets bonded to R.C. beam-column
connections. The tests all co ncord on the effectiveness of the strengthening procedure to increase stiffness and
ductility while increases in shear and flexural strength and in energy dissipation are highly dependent on proper
confinement of the concrete and anchorage of the wrapping.
Carbon fibre epoxy r einforced p olymer ( CFRP)material was u sed t o r etrofit a n e xternal b eam-column j oint i n
shear ((Pantelides et al .,2000).the retrofitted specimen was wrapped with multiple layers of CFRP laminates. the
joint cap acity was i ncreased b y 2 5% a nd t he specimens r eached 5 % d rift . significant improvements i n t he
strength ,stiffness and ductility of the retrofitted joints were also achieved.
Glass fibre ( GFRP) material was u sed t o r etrofit ex ternal b eam co lumn j oints ( G hobarah an d S aid , 2001 and
2002) .two joints were tested as control specimens with different column axial load (10% and 20% of the column
axial capacity) . the control specimens were tested and t hen repaired an d r e-tested .two other specimens were
rehabilitated and tested .the behaviour of the rehabilitated specimens was significantly improved over the as built
specimens; the brittle shear failure of the beam column joints was eliminated and instead ductile flexural hinging

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of the beam occurred. the joints tested in this research program were designed with deficient shear strength but
with adequate positive reinforcement anchoring in the joint .
External application of FRP material provides a practical solution to improve the overall performance of an R.C.
frame structure without the necessity of a radical alteration to the original structure. Externally bonded FRP may
be used in a r epair capacity for structures t hat h ave u ndergone moderate earthquakes d amage o r t o reinforce
structures that are considered to be vulnerable or substandard. The use of FRP offers several advantages, related
to its h igh strength-to-weight r atio, r esistance to co rrosion, f ast an d r elatively s imple ap plication ( El Amoury,
2002). However, FRP is to date still rather expensive so its use must be optimised to minimise material wastage.
One disadvantage of FRP is its dependence on bond to the concrete it is to strengthen, which is a function of the
tensile capacity of the concrete and the type of surface preparation used.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

2.1. Tested specimens

One t hird s cale r einforced co ncrete i nterior b eam-column j oint s pecimens were p repared i n t his s tudy. A
schematic sketch of the specimen used is shown in Fig.1.and the reinforcement details are demonstrated in Fig.2.
two 8 mm steel bars were used at the bottom and two 8mm were used on the top, steel stirrups of 6mm spaced
every 100mm were used for shear.
The beams and the column had a rectangular cross section with 100 mm by 150 mm.
Axial Load A-A
600 600 4T8

A A
200

P/2 300 P/2

Stirrups Ø6 @100mm
B

B
FRP
400

4T8

B-B

Fig .1. : Strengthening and test set up Fig.2. Specimen reinforcement

All dimensions in (mm) All dimensions in (mm)

2.2. Materiel properties

FRP fabrics
The main ch aracteristics o f F RP s trengthening materials used i n t he e xperiments, as s upplied b y t he
manufacturer, are given in Table 1§2.
The HFRP is a hybrid bidirectional fabric braided of one type of glass and one type of carbon in two directions
(0° a nd 90° ) with 21% c arbon a nd 29% glass i n t he warp a nd t he weft di rections , its n ominal weight 274
g/m²,and thickness of 0.13 mm.

Table 1: Mechanical Properties of fibres Strengthening FRP Materials a

Modulus
Tensile Surface
of Fibres Thickness Elongation
Material Strength mass
Elasticity Orientation mm at Failure
MPa g/m2
GPa
Fibre CFRP
238 3650 Unidirectional 0.15 1.7% 225
SikaWrap230C
Epoxy Sika330 3.8 30 - 1 0.9% 500g
a
SIKA Manufacturer Data (properties of the fibres)

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FRP Composite
The name composite is given to the assembly of matrixed fabric in the synthetic resin. The composite, obtained
by fabrication on site, consists of approximately 60% fabric and 40% resin epoxy; these proportions may vary
according to the conditions of use on the site.
The mechanical p roperties o f F RP co mposite d esigned a nd u sed i n t his work were tested; t he t ests were
performed i n acco rdance with the ( NF.T57-101), an equivalent of t he ( ASTM D638). The results are given i n
Table 2; these results should be taken with caution due to the high sensitivity of the experimental conditions and
particularly, the thickness of the composite.

Table 2: Mechanical Properties of Composite (fabric and epoxy) Materials.

Modulus of Tensile Elongation at

Fibers Thickness
Material Elasticity Strength Failure
Orientation mm
GPa MPa %
CFRP 43.5 403 Unidirectional 1.6 0.95
Hybrid
27 218 Bi-directional 2 0.85
Fabric HFRP

Concrete and steel

The average concrete strength in compression was 39 Mpa. The yield strength of the steel bars used as tensile,
shear and compressed reinforcement was determined by standard tensile tests giving an average value of 500
Mpa.

3. STRENGTHENING AND INSTRUMENTATION

The s pecimens were s trengthened b y using car bon an d hybrid fabric FRP materials ( Table2). P rior to th e
application o f t he F RP, t he co ncrete s ubstrate was smoothed b y g rinding an d cl eaning. T he cement p aste was
removed from the surface and the coarse aggregates were exposed. The corners of all the members were ground
to create a flare.
All the beams were subjected to a reversed cyclic load (Fig.2) up to failure using a hydraulic machine of ±250kN
capacity. The supports were made from hardened steel plates, cut and formed with a suitable thickness to sustain
the applied load without any deformation that may affect the test results.
The bottom of the column was attached on the machine through a slab pad with special bolts. The column was
subject to a co nstant prestressed axial load of 100kN which is about 25% of the ultimate load carrying capacity
of the column.
The d eflection o f t he b eam specimens i s measured at t he t ip o f t he b eam with t he help o f a d isplacement
transducers (LVDT) placed respectively on the beam specimens and on the loading arm of the testing machine.
The test beams were equipped with stain gauges and camera for deformation measurements and monitoring.

The l oad cy cle was p redefined as s hown i n F ig.6; t he d isplacement s tarted f rom t he n eutral p osition an d
oscillated h armonically a bout t hat p osition until failure o f t he b eam. It i ncreased at a u niform r ate
0.25mm/Cycle; each cycle consisting of five full waves of the same amplitude with a frequency of 0.3Hz.

15 1,5

10 1
Displacement(mm)
Displacement(mm)

5 0,5 '

0 0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

-5 -0,5

-10 -1

-15 -1,5

Time(S) Time(S)

Fig.3: Cyclic-loading history used in this study.

Specimen details:
For Specimen Bj1 FRP sheets were applied in L shape to upgrade the joints.
FRP has been applied in several layers. In step 1 FRP has been applied on the top and bottom surfaces concrete
surfaces. The fibres were along the axes of the members (Fig.4). Subsequently, FRP wraps were provided over
the inner layers (Fig.5).The direction of fibres in wraps was perpendicular to the axis of the members.

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Both the column and the beam are then wrapped by bidirectional hybrid fibres; same configuration is repeated
for specimen Bj2 using carbon fibre fabric using 1 layer of overlays and single wrap overlap. Both

2L HFRP 2 HFRP

Fig. 4: Strengthening step1 Fig. 5: Strengthening step2 Fig. Test Set Up

4. DISCUSSIONS

For the control s pecimen, the first crack was observed at a l oad of 8 kN as shown in Fig.6. The beams have
failed at the joint through the formation of hinges. The hinges have formed between the two shear links of the
beam. The concrete has spalled-off in such a way that vertical failure planes were created. This has resulted in
free r otation of t he beam with no t ransfer of bending moment to the column. The control specimen failed in
shear at the joint, it reached a maximum load of 25 kN and an ultimate deflection of 8.5 mm.
The hysteresis b ehaviour o f t he c ontrol s pecimen s howed c onsiderable p inching with s evere s trength
deterioration and stiffness degradation.

30

20

10
Load (kN)

0
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

-10

-20

-30
Deflection (mm)
Fig .6: Beam tip Load Displacement for Control Specimen Bjc

The beam tip load–displacement characteristics for the specimens are discussed here. The displacement levels of
the first few cycles did not generate any nonlinear deformation in the structure and the loops followed a straight
line with its slope a s in itial s tiffness. T he o nset o f s tiffness d egradation was id entified b y s imultaneous
appearance of tension cracks at the root of the cantilever beam.
The calculations show that at this point the steel started to yield and it was not capable of taking any further load.
The a dditional lo ad f rom t his p oint was c arried b y t he F RP. A t t his p oint l inearity o f t he a scending a nd the
descending paths was lost and loops between the two paths appeared. We term this phenomenon yield. The post
yield be haviour i s signified by monotonic de gradation of s tiffness. T o e nable c omparison a mong di fferent
systems s tudied h ere t he ti p lo ad–displacement en velopes ar e p lotted (Fig 11) by j oining t he p eaks o f
consecutive loops. These plots have better clarity. The rate of stiffness degradation can also be found out from
these plots.
From the graphs it can be seen that the load at yield was considerably higher in the FRP reinforced specimens
than the control specimen.

90
 30

20

10

Load (kN)
0
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15
-10

-20

-30
Deflection (mm)
Fig 7: Beam tip Load Displacement for specimen Bj1

The Bj2 (Wrap carbon) exhibited the highest increase in the yield load followed by the Bj1, and Bjc specimens.
It may be noted that the forces at the tensile face of the beam are shared by the steel and FRP in proportion of
their relative stiffness.
The stiffness of carbon is similar than that of hybrid; the FRP reinforced specimens had larger areas under the
envelopes t han t he co ntrol s pecimen. T he B j2 s pecimen h ad t he l argest en velope ar ea f ollowed b y t he
Bj1specimen Fig (7§10).

Fig.8 Failure mode of specimen Bj1 Fig. 9Failure mode of specimen Bj2

The control specimen has the lower initial stiffness, and when comparing the peak-to-peak stiffness of the tested
joints, the stiffness degradation of the control specimen joint was higher than the specimens Bj1 and Bj2. The
degradation of the stiffness with lateral movement is less in both the CFRP and the HFRP strengthened joints

compared t o t hat i n t he c orresponding unstrengthened c ontrol s pecimen. This is a d esirable p roperty in

earthquake s ituations. I t was o bserved i n t he p ast e arthquakes, t hat most o f t he RC s tructures f ailed ( or
collapsed) due to a sudden loss of stiffness of structural joints with increasing lateral movement of the structure.

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 30

20

10

Load (kN)
0
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15
-10

-20

-30
Deflection (mm)

Fig 10: Beam tip Load Displacement for specimen Bj2

Both specimens the failure mode was in shear Fig (8§9) at the joint, the failure plane was approximately vertical.

40

20
Load (kN)

0
-10 -5 0 5 10

Bj1
-20
Bj2
Bc

-40

Deflection (mm)

Fig.11 Hysteresis loop envelopes of the test specimens

CONCLUSIONS:
The tests performed in this study demonstrated that externally bonded FRP reinforcement is a viable solution
towards enhancing the strength, energy dissipation, and stiffness characteristics of poorly detailed(in shear) RC
joints subjected to simulated seismic loads.
Specimen s trengthened u sing H FRP s how stiffer behaviour than CFRP s trengthened s pecimens. E nergy
dissipation capacity can be increased with the use of small amount of composites.

Acknowledgements
The authors ar e gratefully ac knowledge the generous a ssistance o f Sika France ( particularly, M. Yvon Gicquel
and M JJacques Béquignon) for the supplies of the reinforcement materials used in this study.

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