Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The corrosion problem of steel reinforcing bars is the greatest factor in limiting the life expectancy of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In some cases, the repair cost can be twice as high as the initial cost. A well-recognized solution to overcome problems related to steel corrosion is the use of the non-corrodible Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars in RC structures. In the last two decades, extensive research efforts along with the advancement in manufacturing processes and numerous successful field applications have led to the development of FRP design standards. However, these standards are missing design procedures and guidelines for structural members in seismic zones due to a lack of research data in this area, which limits the wide spread of FRP technology. A prime example of these structural elements is RC columns. It is well-documented that the inadequate seismic resistance of columns is the most likely cause for the collapse of many RC structures and bridges in major earthquakes, leading to great loss of life and assets. In addition to the necessity of performing seismic analysis of buildings, as required by the Canadian national building code, the use of linear-elastic FRP materials in seismic regions could be advantageous due to the small residual deformations that occur in FRP-RC structures following large drifts, which result in reduced need for rehabilitation. The applicant's research program focusses on better understanding the behaviour and use of FRP reinforcement in different structural applications by developing complete and inclusive design provisions for FRP-RC structures under different loading and environmental conditions. The proposed research will provide this much needed data and introduce design procedures through conducting experimental and analytical investigations on the structural performance of FRP-RC columns under seismic-simulated loads. The experimental work will be conducted on full-scale columns representing the most critical part of a column above foundation. The analytical part will include the development of concrete confinement and bond-slip models for FRP-RC columns that will be further incorporated into a nonlinear finite element software to run an extensive parametric study. In addition, this proposed research program will contribute to the unique and highly specialized training of eight graduate students (4 PhD cutting the maintenance cost for infrastructure owners such as the Ministries of Transportation, Municipalities and Public Works.