Effects of seawater corrosion on compression-induced buckling performance of FRP-

CFST columns

Abstract
This study experimentally investigated axial compression-induced buckling performances of FRP confined
concrete filled steel tube (FRP-CFST) columns after exposure to seawater corrosion environment. Sixty-three
stub FRP-CFST are manufactured, and sixty of them were exposed to three simulated seawater corrosion
conditions with 120, 240, 360 days. Four-stage failure mode of the axial compression-induced buckling tests
was observed and analyzed. Comparative analysis indicated that FRP-CFST can effectively resist normal
seawater corrosion, while weaker durability is observed from columns in triple-salinity seawater environments,
particularly with wet-dry cycles conditions. Under the same corrosion conditions, CFST columns wrapped with
Carbon Fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) exhibited preferable buckling resistance performance than those with
Basalt Fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP). Based on mechanism analysis of the axial compression-induced
buckling tests, a theoretical evaluate model for compression-induced buckling performances of FRP-CFST after
seawater corrosion is proposed and verified. The outcomes of this research can provide experimental and
theoretical basis for evaluating the durability of FRP-CFST under seawater corrosion environment.

Introduction
Concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns have been widely used in the construction of engineering structures
due to their great advantages, such as high strength, favorable ductility and suitable for small-scale construction
[1], [2]. For CFST, attributed to the interaction between the steel tube and filled concrete, thin-walling of the
outer wrapped steel tube can be achieved [3], [4], [5]. However, the thin-walled property of wrapped steel tubes
inevitably leads to degradation of their corrosion resistance, especially for components in marine and nearshore
environments [6], [7], [8]. Therefore, for CFST in marine/seawater environments, the method for anti-corrosion
protection has become one of the most important aspects to be investigated [8].

Traditionally, in order to enhance the corrosion resistance of concrete/reinforced concrete components,

researchers explored several methods, such as corrosion inhibitor additive method [9], cathodic protection [10],
and surface coating treatment [11], etc. However, undeniable drawbacks exist in these protection methods, such
as low protection efficiency [9], high economic costs [12], and early cracking of protective coatings [13].

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is widely used in the aerospace and energy industries due to its excellent
mechanical and material properties, such as lightweight, high strength, and good corrosion resistance [14]. In
structural engineering, structures made and participated in by FRP have also been increasingly studied and
applied [15], [16], [17]. Enormous researches have shown that components made or reinforced with FRP can
effectively enhance the mechanical behavior and durability of the structures [14], [15], [16]. Therefore, the use
of FRP to reinforce CFST has become one of the main research topics at present [17], [18], [19], [20], [21],
[22], [23], [24], [25].

One of the pioneers to apply FRP to wrap CFST members (FRP-CFST) is Teng et al. [18]. In 2007, they
proposed and experimentally studied hybrid FRP-concrete-steel double-skin tubular columns, which exhibited
an extremely ductile response. Besides, the FRP tube employed in this design enhanced the bearing behavior by
offering confinement to the inner components. After that, several researches have been conducted and revealed
that the failure of FRP-CFST occurred primarily due to rupture of the FRP tube under lateral tension or axial
compression followed by crushing and spalling of the concrete [26], [27], [28], [29].

At present, several studies [30], [31], [32], [33], [34] were conducted on the behaviors of FRP-CFST under
corrosion conditions. For instance, Liao et al. [30] investigated the axial compressing behaviors of FRP-
confined seawater sea-sand concrete-filled stainless steel tubular stub columns and concluded that its axial load–
strain curve exhibited a hardening response with the full activation segment characterized as an ascending line.
Wang et al. [31] studied the axial compressive behaviors of seawater sea-sand coral aggregate concrete-filled
circular FRP-steel composite tube columns, and proved that the internal and external FRP can effectively avoid
the corrosion of the steel tubes. Zhang et al. [32] discussed the performance of a novel seawater and sea sand
concrete filled FRP-carbon steel composite column under axial compression, and reported that the internal and
external FRPs can significantly improve its capacities. Zeng et al. [33] investigated compressive behavior of
FRP-wrapped seawater sea-sand concrete with a square cross-section, and concluded that the effect of seawater
on the compressive stress–strain response of the columns was negligible. Liao et al. [34] carried out an
experimental investigation on sea sand concrete-filled stainless steel tubular stub columns under axial
compression test and excellent ductility was observed.
In marine and coastal engineering, components are often directly exposed to the erosion environment of
seawater. The actual corrosion resistance performance of FRP-CFST in this corrosive environment is a key
factor affecting its engineering application. However, the assessment of the seawater erosion in FRP-CFST for
this situation is still very scarce. Therefore, to address this gap, this study conducts an experimental
investigation on axial compression performance of FRP-CFST after seawater corrosion. First, the performance
evolution law of FRP materials and the confinement effect of FRP-CFST are analyzed, by which the
degradation mechanism of FRP CFST is discussed. Then, based on the confinement theory of composite column
structures, a durability evaluate model for compression-induced buckling performances of FRP-CFST in
seawater environment is proposed. The outcomes of this research can make significant contributions toward
expanding the available experimental database and enhancing our understanding of the durability of FRP-CFST
columns when exposed to seawater environments.

Design of specimens
A set of experimental FRP-CFST is designed to examine the impact of three parameters: FRP type, FRP
thickness (i.e., the number of FRP layers wrapped on the CFST), and the duration of corrosion. Considering the
extensive use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) in aerospace engineering and the growing research
on Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) in civil engineering, both CFRP and BFRP sheets are selected for
fabricating the FRP-CFST. Therefore, the FRP-CFST are divided into two

Degradation of FRP sheets

The tensile strengths (fu) of CFRP and BFRP sheet specimens are listed in Table 2. The tensile strength of the
FRP sheets is affected by seawater corrosion. After seawater corrosion, the tensile strength of FRP specimen
decreases. For example, the original tensile strength of BFRP sheets is tested as 2005.1 MPa, while 1452.1 MPa
for B-S3-WD360 is obtained. For specimens under different corrosion durations, such as B-S1-IM120, B-S1-
IM240, and B-S1-IM360, tensile strengths of 1961.6, 1791.6, and
Evaluate model of durability for FRP-CFST
Based on the failure process in Fig. 8, Fig. 9, under axial load, the concrete core is confined by both the FRP
layers and the steel tube. In the early stages, the confinement primarily comes from the steel tube, whereas in the
later stages, the confinement from the FRP layers becomes predominant. When the FRP-CFST failure
completely, both types of confinements nearly reach their peak values [26].

To describe the confinement effect of the steel tube on concrete core, a confinement factor (𝜉ss)
Conclusions
This study conducted an experiment on axial compression-induced buckling performances of the FRP confined
concrete filled steel tube (FRP-CFST) columns exposed in seawater environments. Three corrosion conditions
had been tested, which included normal-salinity immersion, triple-salinity immersion, and triple-salinity wed-
dry cycle exposure. This study contributes to the enrichment of the experimental database and the in-depth
understanding of FRP-CFST exposure in seawater environments. Based on

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Jie Liu: Writing – original draft, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis,
Conceptualization. Yang Wei: Writing – review & editing, Validation, Project administration,
Conceptualization. Zhongxiang Liu: Supervision, Resources, Funding acquisition. Zhaoyan Cui: Validation,
Data curation.