Axial Capacity of Circular Concrete Columns Reinforced with GFRP Bars and Spirals using FEA

This paper presents a numerical study of axial behavior of circular concrete columns reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars and spirals. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed using ABAQUS to predict the compressive behavior of the concentrically loaded columns. Initially, the FE model was verified using an existing experimental paper which investigate the axial capacity of circular concrete columns reinforced with GFRP bars and spirals. The concrete used in the experiment had a compressive strength of 41.9 MPa. Parametric study aiming at evaluating the effect of varying the longitudinal and transverse GFRP reinforcement ratios in the columns was carried out. The results indicated that both the ductility and peak load increase when the reinforcement ratio increases. For spirals, when the diameter increases or the pith decreases, the ductility and capacity increase but with keeping a pitch that allows confinement in the case of changing the spiral diameter.