Rehabilitation of overload-damaged reinforced concrete columns using ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete

Abstract

Abstract One of the problems experienced by reinforced concrete (RC) structures, whether a mistake at the design phase or a change in building use, is an overload. The goal of this study is to determine whether ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is effective in repairing damaged concrete columns utilizing 30 mm thin concrete jacketing made of different steel fibers at various contents with varied aspect ratios (28, 37, and 45). Nine pieces of 500 mm long RC column specimens with a cross-sectional size of 150 mm × 150 mm were cast as part of the experimental program. By loading these columns with roughly 90% of their actual ultimate axial load capacities, damage was caused, and the columns were subsequently strengthened and rebuilt using UHPFRC jacketing materials. The results demonstrated that when steel fiber content increased, so did the mechanical qualities, such as compressive and tensile strengths. Rehab materials that contained 0.5% steel fiber recovered 138% of their maximum load-bearing capacities, while materials that contained 1.5% steel fiber recovered 164% of their original capacities, which were roughly 1.38–1.64 times that of the unjacketed reference column. Additionally, it was observed that employing steel fiber in UHPFRC contents in these approaches resulted in the ultimate displacement being improved from 2.91 to 5.53 mm at 1.5% of steel fiber content, which is an increase of almost double that of control specimens.