SHOTCRETE OR FRP JACKETING OF CONCRETE COLUMNS FOR SEISMIC

RETROFITTING
S.N. BOUSIAS, M. N. FARDIS, A.-S. SPATHIS AND D. BISKINIS *
Structures Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras, Greece

Columns are normally the weak links in concrete buildings designed and constructed in the past in seismic
regions, especially when their vertical bars are insufficiently lap-spliced at floor level. Extending the life of
existing concrete buildings normally requires correcting column deficiencies.
The paper describes experimental results on retrofitting of columns with or without lap splices, through
either shotcrete jacketing of the entire column, or wrapping of the plastic hinge region with resin-impregnated
carbon-fibre-reinforced (CFRP) polymer sheets. Test results supplement those of other experimental
campaigns in the literature, in order to develop simple rules and analytical tools for the prediction of the
effect of shotcrete or FRP jacketing on: (a) flexural strength; (b) shear strength; (c) deflection at yielding and
the associated secant-to-yielding stiffness; and (d) the ultimate deflection under cyclic loading
(conventionally defined as that where resistance drops below 80% of the peak resistance during the test), in
columns with or without lap splicing at the base.
The experimental campaign includes 41 cyclic column tests to failure in cyclic bending with constant
axial load. Nine columns were unretrofitted control specimens, 19 columns were retrofitted with CFRP wraps
and 13 with shotcrete jackets (Tables 1 and 2). The original columns had 250-by-250mm section with four
14mm smooth (plain) vertical bars with hooked ends (Q- specimens), or 250-by-500mm section with four
18mm ribbed (deformed) vertical bars and straight ends. The main focus of the CFRP-retrofitted specimens is
the effect of lap-splicing in the plastic hinge region of the base, with one parameter of the tests being lap
length and another the number of CFRP layers and the height of its application from the base. The aim of the
tests of the shotcrete-jacketed columns is to investigate the effect of measures at the interface for the
connection of the new and old concrete, as well as that of lap splicing in the original column (for ribbed
longitudinal bars and lapped straight ends, or for smooth plain bars with standard hooks).
The rules and analytical tools for prediction of the flexural and shear strength, the secant-to-yield stiffness
and the cyclic deformation capacity, developed on the basis of test results shown in Tables 1 and 2 supplemented with a few other experimental campaigns in the literature - for jacketed columns with or
without lap splicing at the base, are extensions/modifications of the corresponding rules or expressions for
unretrofitted concrete members without lap splicing. The rules and analytical tools developed are given in the
paper, along with their background and justification.

*
M. N. Fardis, Structures Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras, Greece
P.O.Box 1424, University of Patras, GR26500, Patras, Greece, fardis@upatras.gr

TABLE 1. Columns retrofitted with FRP jackets: parameters, key results and model predictions
Specimen lapping (db:
layers fc
=
bar
height of FRP (MPa) N/Acfc
diameter)
jacket

My (kNm)

chord rotation at
yielding, y (%)

ultimate chord
rotation, u (%)

test1

predicted

test

predicted

test

predicted

Q-0L0
Q-0L1
Q-0L2

unretrofitted
controls

27.0
30.3
30.3

0.44
0.41
0.42

66
72.7
72.5

73.7
80.7
82.1

0.8
1.05
0.95

1.15
1.14
1.15

2.2
2.5
1.6

2.25
1.95
1.95

Q-P2L0H1
Q-P2L0H2

two 0.3m
two 0.6m

28.2
28.1

0.40
0.45

77.4
74.5

72.3
78.0

1.0
0.95

1.15
1.15

5.0
4.7

5.65
5.4

Q-P4L0H1
Q-P4L0H2

four 0.3m
four 0.6m

28.2
28.2

0.45
0.44

78.3
77.0

78.2
77.0

1.25
1.15

1.2
1.2

u>6.6
u>6.9

6.45
6.55

Q-P2L1H2
Q-P4L1H2

15db
15db

two 0.6m
four 0.6m

30.0
30.0

0.40
0.40

75.0
76.8

76.9
78.7

1.2
1.1

1.15
1.15

6.0
6.8

5.55
6.55

Q-P4L1H1
Q-P2L2H2

15db
25db

four 0.3m
two 0.6m

27.5
30.0

0.44
0.43

82.8
79.2

77.0
82.1

1.1
1.2

1.2
1.15

6.2
6.0

6.4
5.4

Q-P4L2H2

25db

four 0.6m

30.0

0.42

83.7

78.9

1.4

1.15

6.9

6.5

R-0L0
R-0L0a

unretrofitted
controls

31.0
18.3

0.26
0.38

298.2
290.6

285
217.5

0.75
0.9

1.05
0.75

2.5
2.5

3.95
3.0

R-0L1
R-0L3

15db
30db

27.4
27.4

0.23
0.28

225.4
279.4

196.3
288.0

0.5
0.75

0.45
1.01

1.9
1.9

1.2
2.1

R-0L4
R-P2L0

45db
-

two 0.6m

27.4
32.9

0.28
0.23

283.1
323.2

298.5
276.6

1.1
1.0

1.05
1.0

2.5
4.4

2.65
5.4

R-P2L0a
R-P2L1

15db

two 0.6m
two 0.6m

18.1
26.9

0.37
0.30

322.8
258.1

278.5
288.0

1.0
0.65

0.8
0.85

5.6
3.4

4.75
3.1

R-P2L3
R-P2L4

30db
45db

two 0.6m
two 0.6m

26.9
26.9

0.28
0.28

303.2
303.6

293.6
293.6

1.0
1.15

0.95
0.95

4.7
5.6

5.3
5.3

R-P5L0
R-P5L0a

five 0.6m
five 0.6m

32.9
17.9

0.23
0.39

323.2
323.3

275.0
277.3

1.0
1.1

1.0
0.8

5.3
u>6.9

6.9
5.7

R-P5L1
R-P5L3

15db
30db

five 0.6m
five 0.6m

27.0
27.0

0.28
0.29

284.0
323.1

281.8
300.0

0.95
0.95

0.8
0.95

5.0
u>5.6

4.65
5.25

R-P5L4

45db

five 0.6m

27.0

0.29

322.6

300.0

0.8

0.95

u>5.6

5.25

: Experimental yield moment includes the contribution of P- effects.

15db
25db

TABLE 2. Columns retrofitted with shotcrete jackets: parameters, key results, model predictions
Jacket

lapping

fc (MPa)

Specimen

original jacket
column

=N/Acfc
jacketed
column2

My (kNm)
test3

predicted

chord rotation at
yielding, y (%)
test
predicted

ultimate chord
rotation, u (%)
test predicted

Q-RCL0M
Q-RCL0W
Q-RCL0D

monolithic control1
welded Z-bars
dowels

30.6
22.9
27.4

18.8
55.8

0.18
0.20
0.084

251.0
212.3
225.0

218.5
198
227.8

1.0
1.15
1.15

1.0
1.05
0.9

5.3
5.65
6.25

4.8
3.9
5.4

Q-RCL0R
Q-RCL0RD

roughened
roughened+dowels

27.7
26.3

55.8
55.8

0.09
0.09

258.2
242.7

229
229.6

1.2
1.0

0.9
0.9

5.65
5.3

5.35
5.35

Q-RCL0
Q-RCL0pd

no treatment
no treatment, predamage

26.3
23.1

55.8
24.1

0.079
0.168

233.1
242.7

226.5
205.3

1.3
1.25

0.9
1.05

5.3
5.3

5.4
4.2

Q-RCL1
Q-RCL2

no treatment

15db
25db

27.5
25.6

55.8
55.8

0.084
0.084

212.9
217.5

225.9
225.9

1.15
1.0

0.9
0.9

5.6
5.3

5.5
5.5

Q-RCL1pd
Q-RCL2pd

no treatment, predamage

15db
25db

28.1
28.1

20.7
20.7

0.25
0.27

203.8
244.6

230.2
232.0

1.0
1.1

1.05
1.05

4.4
5.3

3.75
3.65

unretrofitted controls

15db

31.0
27.4

0.26
0.23

298.2
225.4

285
196.3

0.75
0.5

1.05
0.45

2.5
1.9

3.95
1.2

30db
45db

27.4
27.4

0.28
0.28

279.4
283.1

288.0
298.5

0.75
1.1

1.01
1.05

1.9
2.5

2.1
2.65

15db
30db

36.7
36.8

55.8
55.8

0.066
0.066

533.2
562.7

496.3
466.2

1.0
1.0

0.75
0.75

4.2
3.8

3.8
3.85

45db

36.3

55.8

0.052

522.5

453.5

1.0

0.75

4.7

3.85

R-0L0
R-0L1
R-0L3
R-0L4
R-RCL1
R-RCL3

no treatment

R-RCL4
1

: Monolithic 400-by-400mm control specimen, with the same reinforcement as in the jacketed ones

: Calculation of =N/Acfc based on the fc value of the jacket.

: Experimental yield moment includes the contribution of P- effects.

The retrofitting concepts and design expressions were applied to the columns of a 0.7:1 scale two-storey
space frame, 3.15m-by-3.85m in plan (4.5m-by-5.5m in full-scale), with a 2m-high ground storey (2.85m in
full-scale) and 2.3m 2nd-storey (3.3m in full-scale), constructed for Pseudodynamic testing, with or without
retrofitting. The unretrofitted columns resemble 0.7:1 scale models of Q- or R- individual control specimens
with lap splices in Tables 1 and 2. At present, the full testing campaign, tested, including the retrofitting, has
not been concluded. It is planned to have all the Pseudodynamic testing completed by April, for inclusion in
the full paper, along with predictions of nonlinear time-history analysis and conclusions.

Keywords: retrofitting; CFRP; shotcrete; RC columns; lap splices; experimental investigation