| This thesis presents results of an experimental study on the durability performance of concrete cylinders confined with glass-FRP (GFRP) sheets, carbon-FRP (CFRP) sheets, or prefabricated GFRP tubes (GFRP-T). The study includes 146 plain and FRP-confined concrete specimens of which 126 specimens were standard 150 x 300 mm concrete cylinders and 20 specimens consisted of 167 x 334 mm concrete-filled GFRP tubes. The concrete filled GFRP tubes are mainly considered for new structures and not for rehabilitation p urposes. One half of each group was made of normal weight concrete while the other half was made of lightweight concrete. FRP-confined specimens from each group were subjected to sustained axial compressive stresses of 40--50% of their respective confined strength using specially fabricated steel loading frames. Some of these specimens were then subjected to 300 freeze-thaw cycles with a temperature range of +4°C to -18°C in accordance with ASTM C666, using a large environmental chamber. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
