Effect of Organic and Inorganic Matrix on the Behavior of FRP-Wrapped Concrete Cylinders

There is an increased use of fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) in a wide area of engineering fields for various reasons including, ease of transportation and installation, high strength to weight ratio and favorable durability in different conditions. On the other hand, the use of this material as confining shells has been an interesting matter for retrofit, strengthening and construction of quasi-structural column systems. In this research, concrete cylinders with 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height were made, and effect of organic (epoxy-based) and inorganic (cementitious-based) matrices on strength behavior and ductility of cylinders wrapped in one and two-ply carbon, basalt and glass fabrics were studied. Results show that compressive strength of wrapped cylinders was 1.11 to 2.42 times higher than unwrapped ones. Also, there was a considerable 10 times increase in cylinders’ ultimate strain. Effects of confinement upgrade (from one to two-ply) were 3% to 26% increase for compressive strength and 17% to 41% for failure strain. Fabrics’ quantity performance was Carbon > Basalt > Glass.