Analysis of the efficiency of strengthening design models for reinforced concrete columns

Abstract This paper develops a comparative analysis of the main design models used for predicting the strengthening of reinforced concrete columns subjected to uniaxial compression. The study evaluated four strengthening design models with concrete jackets and eleven strengthening design models with wrapping in Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP). All models consider the effect of confinement provided by the transverse steel reinforcement and the CFRP sheet wrapping on the gain in resistance of the column. For the validation, a database was formulated containing 135 experimental results of columns tested by several researches, which was used to analyze all design models and identify which was best for expressing the behavior of the strengthened column. At the end of the study, one confinement design model with transverse reinforcement and eleven design models with confinement provided by CFRP sheet wrapping and transverse steel reinforcement which showed the best resistance predictions were selected.