SDOF analysis of protective hardening design for reinforced concrete columns using fibre reinforced polymer wrap

The wrapping of columns with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sheets has become a common technique for the protective hardening of reinforced concrete columns against blast pressure effects. FRP wrap provides added strength and ductility, resulting in an economical solution to harden existing columns subject to blast threats. This paper investigates the effectiveness of FRP wrapping on typical reinforced concrete columns subject to various blast pressures and with different wrapping configuration. Single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analyses of the unwrapped and wrapped columns are carried out with FWrapSDOF, a proprietary SDOF analysis code for simulating the response of FRP wrapped columns to blast loading. The SDOF results are compared with the actual test results of unwrapped and wrapped columns subject to various blast pressures and with different wrapping configuration. This is to evaluate the fidelity of SDOF analyses for FRP wrapped reinforced concrete columns.